


Soaring On Chains

by Happyritas



Category: Doctor Who, Maximum Ride
Genre: Brainwashing, Character(s) of Color, Daughter-Father Relationship, F/M, Flying, Maximum Ride - Freeform, Mention(s) of Rape, Mention(s) of human experimentation, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Severe swearing, Superpowers, TARDIS - Freeform, Torture, Wings, feathers - Freeform, the Flock - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-08-12 03:51:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 127,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7919461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Happyritas/pseuds/Happyritas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>First, we have one African-american girl that just happens to be 1% Hummingbird. </p><p>Then, we add Erasers, Whitecoats, and a certain company by the name of Itex.  </p><p>Oh, don't forget a TARDIS, Time Lord, a few scots, and being able to travel through all of time and space. </p><p>What's your end result? Well, basically, it's a girl who's soaring on her chains.<br/>•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. chapter one:

Chapter One:

Main Character's POV

I beat my wings as fast as I could, gripping my bleeding arm tightly. I heard the Flyboys behind me quickly gaining. A loud gun shot rang across the brisk autumn atmosphere again, and a sharp pain went through my leg.

 _I was going to die_ , I thought, as I flew as fast as I could. _I had nowhere to go, and there were god knows how many Flyboys chasing me_! I scanned the ground, only finding houses, that look occupied and huge trees.

I scowled, and quickly took a sharp right, the least I could do was shake them off my tail. My wild curly brown hair flung as I twisted in the air, going the opposite direction.

_Okay, plan. I need a plan. First, shake off Flyboys. Second, get out of this area. Third, find shelter. Germany maybe? I heard that they had been seen somewhere in Germany, so I should probably--_

My planning was cut off by a loud gunshot going off, and lodging itself in my wing. My eyes widened and I screamed in pain. My wing curled reflexively, and I fell out of the sky quickly. With only one wing, it would be literally impossible to get out of here. I glanced up to see the Flyboys diving at my body that was rapidly losing altitude.

My body limply fell through few trees, scratching my body up more than it already had been. When I hit the ground, a white-hot, blinding pain struck through my wing, that made me unconscious.

•••/---/-•-•

Doctor's POV

"Sorry about running off earlier," He apologized to Amy, stepping out of his TARDIS. "Brand new Tardis. Bit exciting. Just had a quick hop to the moon and back to run her in. She's ready for the big stuff now."

"It's you. You came back," Amy stated, disbelievingly.

"Course I came back," He told the gir-- woman, confused. "I always come back. Something wrong with that?"

"And you kept the clothes," she said.

"Well, I just saved the world. The whole planet, for about the millionth time, no charge. Yeah, shoot me. I kept the clothes."

"Including the bow tie," She pointed out.

"Yeah. I like bowties. Bowties are cool," he fixed his bowtie and grinned.

"Are you from another planet?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

There was a awkward silence. "So what do you think?"

"Of what?"

Before he could answer, a something fell out of the tree beside him, making him jump. He saw a girl, with dark chocolate skin and wild hair that was entangled with branches and leaves. She wore a raggedy, dirty gray shirt and faded, worn jeans. Her arm was bleeding, and scratches covered her face and arms. He also saw some blood coming out of her leg. But that's not what surprised him.

On her back, were two huge black wings with brown speckled dots. Her right wing was bent at a awkward angle. There was also a hole in it, that looked about the size of a bullet.

"Doctor..." Amy said, sounding as confused as he felt.

"Do girls with wings usually fall out of your trees?" He asked, taking out his sonic screwdriver, and sonicked the midnight sky. He found at several large figures in the moonlight, all heading their direction.

"No. Not that I know of," she said.

"Good. That would be weird," he told her, gently picking up the injured girl. "We need to bring her into the TARDIS." He quickly entered the TARDIS.

"Good idea," Amy agreed, entering the blue police box with him, closing the door behind her.

He looked around frantically for a place to set the girl down, and finally settled on one of the seats beside the console. He quickly began to turn knobs on the console, and took him away from Amelia's garden as fast as he could.

Once they were safe, he sighed and checked the monitor. Outer space, orbiting the Earth. That would do.

He clapped his hands, "Alrighty, Pond, where to first?"

"Uh... Shouldn't we take her to the hospital or something?" She asked, pointing to the unconscious girl bleeding out on his cushioned chair.

"No, not the hospital, anything but the hospital. Why the hospital? She has big ol' wings! Take her to the hospital, and it'll be a show-and-tell for every scientists on earth!" He frowned. "There's a sick-bay on the TARDIS, we can put her there."

He went to the computer, typing something really quick, and a second later, the girl was teleported elsewhere. "There!" He rubbed his hands together, and smiled.

"Where'd she go?" Amy asked.

"Sick-bay," he said. "TARDIS sent her in a Stasis Chamber. It'll help her wounds, keep her sleeping, et cetera."

"Don't you think we should wait for her to wake up...?"

He nodded, "Probably. According to the TARDIS, she'll probably wake up in..." He checked the computer, "One hour!" As soon as he said that, he frowned, and checked the computer again. "What? That's odd."

"Isn't that a bit... Short?" Amy frowned, "She looked like she would be asleep for at least a few days!"

"You are very right, Pond. Very, very right..."


	2. chapter two:

Chapter Two:

Main Character's POV

I shot up quickly, not taking a second to hesitate. _Where was I_? I sniffed, the air smelt sterile, it was some kind of hospital, and a soft humming sound seemed to float around the air.

My arms were wrapped up with tinted red bandages, and so were my legs. I felt my head, there was a small bandage around there too, and a band-aid on my cheek. My eyes widened, and I remembered that my wing was shot!

I quickly turned around to see, it was bandaged up as well. I frowned, and flexed my wing. It stung painfully when I moved it, it wasn't fully healed. I looked at my other wing, which seemed pretty fine.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Acting quickly, I took a medical tool of the tray beside me, and shot it at the door. The person ducked instantly, and it bounced off the wall harmlessly. I scrambled off the bed, and went over to the wall, going invisible. Just as I did so, my chest clenched with pain. I groaned and fell to the ground, breathing heavily. _Too injured to keep up my invisibility_ , I noted to myself.

"Don't throw the things!" a male voice scolded. I looked at him, he had a brown tweed jacket with a white shirt under and black suspenders that were connected to his pants. Around his neck was a blue bow-tie. He had floppy brown hair and dull green eyes with a look that made you think he was a old man, although he looked to be only in his twenties.

When he saw me on the ground, clenching my chest, he jumped, "AH! You're hurt!!" He cried running over, I vaguely noticed he had a British accent. He went to go point some kind of green flashlight at me, but I shot my hand out, slapping his hand away from me, and the flashlight went flying. "Hey!" He yelled glaring at me.

I glared back, but it wasn't as intense since my head was beaded with sweat and my body was in pain. He noticed my pain, and his glare disappeared. "Are you okay?" He reached out a hand to me again, but I slapped it away. I glanced at the door which was wide open. _I could make a run for it if--_ as soon as I thought that, the door closed shut by itself.

I sighed, and leaned back against the wall, "You're really hurt," the man said, "You dislocated your wing and lost a ton of blood. You should get back in bed," his tone was soothing, but I glared at him again. "I'm not going to hurt you," he coaxed, and held his hand out for me to take.

I narrowed my eyes at him, _what was the School planning? To gain my trust only to break it again? It's not like I was going to trust anyone either way. This was a waste of time._

"I'm the Doctor," the man said, and my eyes widened. "I can help you if--" he didn't have a chance to finish because I scrambled away from him, expertly jumping over the bed and pulling on the door, which was locked. I used all my energy to move the metal inside the door, and a few seconds later, it clicked, and I swung the door open and raced down the hallway.

"WAIT!" The man called behind me. I turned around the corner, only find the man, standing there. My eyes widened, and I turned back, racing the other way, only to be face-to-face with the man again. _What's going on?!_

"Please, just stop," the man pleaded when I stumbled back, and turned, trying to get away. After a minute of running back and forth, my breathing began to labor, and my head felt heavy. Black dots were crawling over my vision. The man saw this, and caught my shoulders just as I collapsed.

•••/---/-•-•

"... Just ran... Terrified..." A familiar male's voice said beside me.

"... Just a kid... Parents... Scared..." A new, female voice said. She had seen ome kind of accent, _Scottish maybe_?

My eyes fluttered open, to reveal the pearly white room from earlier, "She's waking up," the feminine voice said. I looked over to see the man -- _the doctor_ \-- from earlier. My eyes slowly widened, and I jumped, trying to get as far away from him as possible.

"See! She hates me!" The man whined in a childish tone.

"She's just scared. I'd be too if I woke up and saw that face," the woman shot at him with a feisty Scottish accent.

I saw him clench his chest as if he were wounded, "That's mean Pond!"

She ignored him and turned to me. "Hello sweetheart, I'm Amy. What's your name?"

I just stared at the woman, she had fiery red hair, and striking green eyes. Freckles were scattered across her nose, and her mouth wore a gentle smile. She had on nightclothes, so she probably just woke up. I glanced at the man, he wore the same clothes, so I mustn't have been asleep for long.

"Do you talk?" The woman asked. I didn't answer. I glanced around the room, it was the same as earlier and the door was closed, again. There also didn't seem to be any other means of escaping. I couldn't find one air vent or window! _This seemed more like a prison than a hospital!_

I looked back at the man, who frowned under my gaze. I turned away, not wanting to stare at the so-called 'doctor' anymore.

That was another weird thing about him, he was a ' _doctor_ ' but didn't smell like one, and didn't have a white coat, like the rest of the Whitecoats. If anything, he looked more like a homeless guy than a doctor.

"Where did you get those wings from," the man asked suddenly. "Who did this to you?"

I didn't say anything. I saw him reach out a hand to touch my large bulky wing, but I quickly moved it. Bringing them closer to my body and away from him. This obviously hurt, but I didn't care. Nobody touches my wings.

The man looked slightly hurt at this, "What's your name?" The woman -- Amy -- asked.

I almost scoffed at the fairly simple question. _Name, what name? I had so many, and even then, didn't have a designated one. I decided to use one of my most common ones._ "Hazel," I answered in a small voice.

"Ah! That's a start! Hazel! That's a brilliant name," the man exclaimed passionately, and loudly too. "Where you from, Hazel? Where's your parents?"

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I already said; I'm the Doctor, and this is Amy Pond!" He grinned.

I frowned at him, _for a Whitecoat, he was very friendly. Too friendly._ "What does the School want with me? Why am I here?!" My voice was beginning to get increasingly loud with panic.

"Calm down," the man said. "I don't know what you mean by school, but I'm all for education!" He smiled, trying to make a joke, but it really wasn't funny. _What could possibly be funny about a organization that experiments on children illegally?_

When he realized that nobody was laughing, his smile melted, "Okay... Not funny. What's the school?"

I frowned, "You don't know?"

"If I did know, then I wouldn't be asking."

I sighed, "It's an government organization," I said, vaguely, not wanting to get into detail. _If they didn't know about them, then they were either not associated with the School, or just acting._

"And... They're after you?" Amy asked, I nodded.

"How old are you, anyway?" The man, asked.

  
I shrugged, "Probably fourteen. Maybe fifteen."

"You don't know your own age," the woman frowned.

 _Well, time seems to be harder to keep track of when you're born in a petri dish and then locked in a dog cage all your life_ , I thought sarcastically, but just shook my head.

The man sighed, "You must be hungry. There's a fully stocked kitchen on the TARDIS if you--"

"I'm fine," I interrupted him. I felt my stomach twist reminding me that I hadn't eaten in about a week, and after flying as fast as I did to get away from those Flyboys earlier, and then running from him just a few hours ago. I must've burned a bunch of calories. And yet, I didn't want to risk being unsuspectingly poisoned. I don't know these people, and Whitecoats or not, I'm definitely not just about to trust them. _Besides, nobody just sees a girl with wings, and doesn't call the police or something._

The man frowned at my response, "You have high signs of malnutrition," he said. "If you don't eat something, you would most likely die in hours."

I clenched my jaw, "I'm fine," I said stubbornly.

"You're going to _die_ ," he replied firmly.

"I don't need to eat," I lied.

"Oh, yes you do," he said. "According to the machine, you hadn't eaten in at least a week, if not more. If you refuse to eat, then I'll just have to force you."

I stared at him for a few seconds, but looked away, "What do you have?"

I could feel a grin stretching on his face.

•--/••/-•/--•/•••

"The TARDIS just changed, so I'm guessing the kitchen is somewhere around here," the floppy brown haired man said.

"What does TARDIS stand for, anyway?" I asked.

The man spun around, and looked at me, "How did you know it stood for something?" He asked, not angrily, but more like curiously.

"You're not exactly human," I shrugged, and he rose eyebrow.

"How do you know?" He challenged.

"Your ' _hospital_ ' room had inhuman technology -- I know that, that big glass thing filled with goo didn't smell like something from earth, and that was only one of the things. We've been walking down the hallway for a while now, and I know that when I was running down it, it was just looped, somehow. I know that the halls changed because if the the room was just turning in circles, I'd feel it. If you were human, then you'd probably freak out when you found a girl with big wings. That tells me that you've been with contact with other aliens, which is not surprising considering London is known for it's alien activity. And, you have two hearts."

He blinked and then frowned at me, "How'd you know I had two hearts?"

"I can hear it," I frowned, "It's actually quite annoying."

He scoffed, and kept walking, "You're clever for a kid, I'll give you that."

"So, what does TARDIS stand for?" I pressed.

"She stands for _Time and Relative Dimension In Space_ ," he answered.

"A living time machine?" he nodded proudly. "Meh." Amy snorted at my answer.

His jaw dropped and he looked at me, "' _Meh_ '?! What's ' _meh_ ' about a time machine!"

"I've seen a lot of things," I shrugged, "' _Time machine_ '... That is a first, but things like this don't really surprise me anymore."

He frowns at me, as if I had wounded his pride, and opens a door, revealing a large room with tiled flooring, an over-sized fridge, and a large, dark blue counter in the center. There are metal pans hanging from the ceiling, and wooden cabinets lining the shelves all around the room. It also has some kind of dishwasher, and a silver sink.

"So this is what a kitchen looks like," I murmured thinking no one would notice. I went to the fridge, and pried the doors open. My eyes widened at the amount of food in it, some I could name, and others, I couldn't. Hell, some of it even looked like something that an alien would eat! _This much food could last the entire population of China a lifetime..._

I poked it. Then I sniffed it. Then I rubbed it against my cheek. _It felt real, smelt real, and would probably taste real too_! "What's the matter?" The Doctor asked.

"There's so much..." I muttered, "It can't be real!"

"So that surprises you, but a living time machine doesn't?!"

I frowned, there literally didn't seem to be an end to this fridge! "... Dimensionally transcendental..." I muttered in realization.

As soon as these words left my mouth, the Doctor turned to me, "How did you know that?!"

"It's dimensionally transcendental; bigger on the inside," I explained. I had read about Dimension transcendental-ness in a book I found -- stole. I read it over more times than I could think of, but I never really understood it until now. "Just like your box," I added.

"You knew the TARDIS was bigger on the inside?" He frowned.

"Well, its not hard to see a gigantic, glowing, blue police box," I rolled my eyes. "She stuck out like a sore thumb." I went through his fridge, pulling out the supplies to make a large sandwich.

Once I finished, I sat at the table where Amy and the Doctor was sitting, and pulled out a sizable chunk of my sandwich, handing it to the woman. "Huh? What do I do with this?"

"Eat it," I ordered.

She scrunched up her nose, "Why?"

"I want to know if it's poisoned or not," I explained.

"So why would I eat it?"

"She's using you as a test subject," the man frowned. "Why not me?"

"You're alien; I don't know what immunities you could have, and you could use that to your advantage. She's human. She doesn't," I explained.

"Is this supposed to make you trust us?" Amy questioned, taking the sandwich.

"Actually, it goes both ways," I said. "I had my back turned for at least twenty seconds while making that sandwich and I made about five different suspicious gestures during that time, suggesting that I might have poisoned it. You don't know if I poisoned it, and I don't know if you did."

The man narrowed his eyes, "Clever. Very clever. Except I know that I don't keep poisons in my pantry. There's no way you could've poisoned it."

"Poisons are very easy to make," I shrugged. "In fact, I know fifty poisons that I could make in seconds from five things that I saw in your pantry. They vary from a stomach ache to death."

He glared at me, "Amy, don't eat that."

"Making Amy not eat that would suggest that you don't trust me, which makes me think that you're working for the School," A lazy yawn escaped my mouth. "In that case, there ten ways that I could knock you out and eleven ways I could kill you just from where I'm standing. I also have several weapons on my person, currently."

He gritted his teeth, realizing that he was between a rock and a hard place. "I'll eat it," Amy said, making the man raise an eyebrow at her.

"Why? It could very possibly be poisoned," the man objected.

"I want to help her," she said, bringing the food to her mouth. "And if that means that I have a chance at being poisoned, then so be it." She ate the sandwich, I watched closely as she chewed it.

Once she swallowed it, she shot up and ran to the fridge. The man's eyes widened, as Amy screeched, "What did you put in this?!" She pulled out a carton of milk, downing it easily.

"Hot sauce, why? You don't put hot sauce in your sandwiches?" I asked, taking a bite out of it. It was actually very good. After a few minutes, she sat back down.

"You didn't poison it," the man noted.

"Course I didn't," I rolled my eyes, finishing my sandwich. "It's perfectly good food. I don't get to eat very often, so I'd be an idiot if I poisoned free food."

Somehow, he found this funny and managed to let out a chuckle, "Clever."

I shrugged, "You're a doctor, right?" He nodded. "Of what?"

"Just the Doctor," he clarified, and I nodded.

"Just to be sure, you two aren't working for the School?" They both nodded. "Okay... I don't trust you, but I'm holding you to your word. If I find out you're lying, and you bring me back, I'll hunt you down and kill you." I gave them a sickly sweet smile and both their eyes widened.

"You don't trust us after I ate your hot-sauced sandwich!?" Amy said angrily.

"I trust you. You're not a doctor, scientist, or a nurse. I don't know what you are, actually," I shrugged. "It's him I don't trust."

"Why not?" The man -- the Doctor, frowned.

"You're a doctor -- _the_ Doctor -- and I **hate** doctors."


	3. chapter three:

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fixed publishing error, sorry about that!

Chapter 3:

Hazel's POV

I watched as the Doctor held Amy by her ankle. Her red hair floated around her head like a fiery halo. She laughed, and seemed to reach for the stars that were all too far away for her to touch.

"You really didn't have to hit me," he muttered, rubbing his head that was sore from earlier.

I rolled my eyes, "You're the one who almost pushed her into space!"

"I was going to catch her," he argued.

I crossed my arms over my chest, and looked away, "Sure..."

-•••/•/•-••/---/•--

"It's amazing," Amy awed, looking into the starry space. I smiled, leaning against the console, as the Doctor had called it. Outside the white doors was the vast outer space, filled with bright, multicolored stars.

The Doctor stepped behind her, "Maybe you should get a closer look." Before I knew it, he pushed her out of the box. I shot up, racing over, and practically throwing him across the room. I caught her leg before she could drift off into space, I breathed heavily, looking at her with wide eyes. She was floating in space, but she wasn't dead!

"Ow!" The man cried, "What'd you do that for!?"

"You're the one who pushed her out the TARDIS!" I shot back, bringing her back into the ship.

"You didn't have to throw me across the room! I was going to catch her!!" He shouted, standing up.

"How was I supposed to know that?!" I huffed, shifting my wings. "Amy, are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine " she laughed. "No need to worry. This is beautiful..."

-•••/•/•-/•••/-

"Come on, Pond," the Doctor said. "Do you want a turn, Hazel?"

"My wings are still sore, I wouldn't be able to fly. And I'd rather not fly over top a city... I'm sure they don't have bird kids in space..."

"I'll hold you," he offered, but I shook my head.

"My wings would still be visible," I pointed out. He opened his mouth to saw something, but I interrupted him. "I like the view perfectly fine from here, anyway."

"Okay, your box is a spaceship," Amy said, interrupting our small argument. "It's really, really a spaceship. We are in space! What are we breathing?"

"I've extended the air shell. We're fine," the Doctor answered. "Now that's interesting. Twenty ninth century. Solar flares roast the earth, and the entire human race packs its bags and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations." The Doctor turns away, and goes over to the console, and the doors shut, Amy on the outside.

"Doctor?" Amy says outside the door.

"Migrating to the stars," he says to himself, awing.

"Doctor!" I said, but he still didn't notice. I saw a small smile on his lips, he was teasing her!

"Amazing, don't you think?" He turns to me, and frowns, going over to the doors, and swinging them open. "Well, come on. I've found us a spaceship. This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland. All of it, bolted together and floating in the sky. Starship UK. It's Britain, but metal. That's not just a ship, that's an idea. That's a whole country, living and laughing and shopping. Searching the stars for a new home!"

"Can we go out and see?" Amy asked hopefully.

"Course we can. But first, there's a thing," he said. A condition?

"A thing?" Amy asked, seemingly having the same thoughts I did.

"An important thing. In fact, Thing One. We are observers only." Ah, so it's a rule... "That's the one rule I've always stuck to in all my travels. I never get involved in the affairs of other peoples or planets."

A image of a girl waiting by what seemed like elevator appeared on the screen. "Ooo, that's interesting!" The Doctor grinned.

"So we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah?" Amy says, staring at the screen, not noticing that the Doctor had left the room. "Because if they see a wounded little cub or something, they can't just save it, they've got to keep filming and let it die. It's got to be hard. I don't think I could do that. Don't you find that hard, being all, like, detached and cold?"

He appears on the screen, gesturing for us to join him.

•/•-••/••/--••/•-/-•••/•/-/•-

"Where's Hazel?" I heard the Doctor ask from around the corner.

"She's over there," Amy replied.

I heard footsteps coming in my direction and soon, the alien emerged from the corner. "What are you doing, dawdling about? Giant spaceship, and you're hiding here, in the shadows!"

I glared at him, "Yes, Doctor. Gigantic spaceship filled with god knows how many people. You know what I have?! Friggin' wings! Might as well put up a flashing sign that says 'Hey! There's a bird kid over here!'"

The Doctor sighed, "You can go back to the TARDIS and grab a coat from the wardrobe if you want to."

"I have no clue where that is," I frowned. "You need a coat rack."

"I had a coat rack!" He whined. "I don't know where its gone to now!"

I sighed at the man, "Can I just wear your jacket?"

He frowned, "Fine. Just don't mess it up."

I rolled my eyes, taking the jacket from him, and putting it around my shoulders, covering my wings. "You guys go ahead. I'll meet up with you in a few minutes."

"What are you going to do?"

"Tying my wings down so no one can see them," I answered, taking the bandage, that was rather dirty, off my wings and tying it around my body tightly. Once I finished, I sighed.

"It's like you're wearing a corset," he frowned, as we both walked away.

I rolled my eyes, and met up with Amy, who was sitting down at one of the tables. Once she saw us, she got up, and the three of us began to walk down. "Welcome to London Market," a voice over some kind of P.A. system said. "You are being monitored."

That's fantastic, I thought to myself. Thanks creepy P.A. system for reminding me that you were stalking me...

"I'm in the future," Amy whispered in realization. "Like hundreds of years in the future. I've been dead for centuries."

I scoffed. "Oh, lovely," the Doctor said sarcastically. "You're a cheery one. Never mind dead, look at this place. Isn't it wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Amy asked as we passed another one of the creepy statues with a clown-like face in it.

"Come on, use your eyes," the Doctor encouraged. "Notice everything. What's wrong with this picture?"

"Is it the bicycles?" Amy asked, "Bit unusual on a spaceship, bicycles."

"Eh, not really," I shrugged. "It's a spaceship. It wouldn't need cars. Bicycles would help the environment, seeing that they probably already have to worry about the fumes ruining the clean air. And besides, you're in your PJ's. You probably stick out more than the bicycles do."

"Oh my god!" Amy exclaimed in horror, "I'm in my nightie!"

"Now, come on, look around you," the Doctor said. "Actually look!"

I sighed, but looked around, my eyes scanning the room for any sign of suspicious movement. The only thing that really stuck out was the creepy booths...

Wait.

I looked back at the tables, where someone's glass of water was, glaring at it. "London Market is a crime-free zone," the P.A. said again.

"Life on a giant starship," the Doctor said. "Back to basics. Bicycles, washing lines, wind-up street lamps. But look closer. Secrets and shadows, lives led in fear. Society bent out of shape, on the brink of collapse. A police state,," he turned to one of the people sitting at the tables, who has a glass cup in front of them that they were probably drinking, "Excuse me." The Doctor seemed to notice this too, and took the glass, placing it on the ground. I watched it my eyes narrowed. The water was still; it didn't even so much as shudder.

The Doctor put the cup back, "Sorry," he apologized. "Checking all the water in this area. There's an escaped fish. Where was I?"

"Why did you just do that with the water?" Amy asked as we walked. I crossed my arms over my chest, glancing at the statues, its de-voided of life eyes seemed to follow us as we passed it.

"Don't know," the Doctor said. "I think a lot. It's hard to keep track. Now, police state. Do you see it yet?"

"Where?" Amy asked.

"There," I said, pointing to the small girl that was sitting on the red benches.

We walked over to her, the Doctor was walking past her, bumping into her four times, until finally, I saw her drop a wallet out of her pocket, and he picked it up.

"One little girl crying. So?" Amy asked, as he glanced at the wallet.

"Crying silently," he pointed out. "I mean, children cry because they want attention, because they're hurt or afraid. But when they cry silently, it's because they just can't stop. Any parent knows that."

"Are you a parent?" Amy asked.

"Hundreds of parents walking past who spot her and not one of them asking her what's wrong," the Doctor said, totally dodging her question. "Which means they already know, and it's something they don't talk about. Secrets. They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows, whatever they're afraid of, it's nowhere to be seen, which means it's everywhere. Police state."

I watched as the girl walked into the elevator, noticing that the creepy statue was watching her too. "Where'd she go?" Amy asked.

"Deck two oh seven. Apple Sesame block, dwelling 54A. You two look for Mandy Tanner. Oh, er, this fell out of her pocket when I accidentally bumped into her. Took me four goes. Ask her about those things. The smiling fellows in the booths. They're everywhere."

"They're just things," Amy frowned.

"They're more than that," I said, and she looked at me. "This whole place is dirty except for those booths. There's not a single footprint within two feet of those booths. We need to ask her why the people are scared of them too. How could a creepy, wooden puppet cause so much fear in a city of people?"

"No, hang on," Amy said, still not satisfied. "What do I do? I don't know what I'm doing here and I'm not even dressed."

"It's this or Leadworth. What do you think? Let's see. What will Amy Pond choose?" He asked jokingly, "Ha ha, gotcha. Meet me back here in half an hour."

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"What I always do," he grinned at us. "Stay out of trouble. Badly."

I rolled my eyes as Amy said, "So is this how it works, Doctor? You never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets, unless there's children crying?"

The Doctor stepped closer to her, until they were inches apart. His dull green eyes bore into her striking green ones and he gave her a short, one worded answer.

"Yes."

•--/••••/•-/•-••/•

We were following the girl down the hallway, our footsteps leaving footprints in the ground. I sighed, she does know we're following her right? Why do I feel like a stalker...?

"You're following me," the girl spoke up. "Saw you watching me at the marketplace."

"You dropped this," Amy says, holding out the multicolored wallet to the girl.

"Yeah, when your friend kept bumping into me," she replied sarcastically, taking the wallet.

"What's that?" Amy asked, motioning to the large red-and-white tent that was circled by a yellow border, and a large white 'KEEP OUT' sign. I noticed that there was a also one of the creepy booth puppets beside it.

"A what? A hole?" Amy frowns, going over to the tent.

"Are you stupid?" The girl frowns. "There's a hole in the road. We can't go that way. There's a travel pipe down by the airlocks, if you've got stamps. What are you doing?" Amy had went in anyway, and I saw a large lock on it.

"Oh, don't mind me," she says, noticing the padlock. "Never could resist a keep out sign. What's through there? What's so scary about a hole? Something under the road?"

"Nobody knows," the girl says. I notice that she keeps glancing at the puppet, and I narrow my eyes at it. "We're not supposed to talk about it."

"About what?" I asked.

"Below," she says.

"And because you're not supposed to, you don't?" Amy laughed, "Watch and learn."

"You sound Scottish," she frowned. "And you're American."

"I am Scottish. What's wrong with that? Scotland's got to be here somewhere."

"No. They wanted their own ship," she answered. "And the Americans only took the rich people. I heard everyone else had to get off themselves... I don't think they did..."

I frowned, "Never likes America that much, anyway..."

"How did you get here?" The girl asked, changing the subject.

I hear a mechanical whirring and the smiling puppet turned to a frowning one. "Oh, just passing through, you know," Amy answered casually, "With a guy."

"Your boyfriend?"

Amy frowns, stopping for a second. "Oh."

"What?"

"Nothing," Amy laughed. "It's just, I'm getting married. Funny how things slip your mind."

"Married?" The girl and I said, simultaneously.

"Yeah, shut up, married," Amy rolled her eyes. "Really, actually married. Almost definitely."

"When?" The girl asked.

"Well, it's kind of weird," she chuckled. "A long time ago tomorrow morning. I wonder what I did?" Then the lock clicked off, and she grinned, "Hey, hey. Result! Coming?"

"No!" Mandy exclaimed.

"Suit yourself. How about you, Hazel?"

"I'll stay out here with her," I said. "Shout if something goes wrong."

She nods and heads into the tent. I glanced to see the puppet's face turn from frowning to a demonic scowling one. My eyes fractioned, and I turned back to the tent, hearing a thud. "Amy!"

I turn to the girl. "If I don't come back, I want you to get out of here, okay?" She nods reluctantly and I storm into the room.

I see black figures dragging Amy's body away, and quickly, I run over, kicking him under his legs so he trips, and falls into the pit below. I run after Amy, but my hand is caught behind me, I turn to see another man-in-black, holding my arm with a very tight grip. "Amy!" I screamed, as the man sprayed something in my face.

I felt my body become heavy, but I fought it, pulling away from the man, and running after the woman who only seemed to be dragged away farther and farther. "Amy..." I murmured before the spaceship went black.

•••/-/•-/•-•

My eyes snapped open, and I looked around. I was in a enclosed room, in a metal chair. There were four screens in front of me, and then two buttons, one said forget, the other protest.

"Welcome to voting cubicle three two C," a computerized voice says. "Please leave this installation as you would wish to find it. The United Kingdom recognizes the right to know of all its citizens. A presentation concerning the history of Starship UK will begin shortly. Your identity is being verified on our electoral roll. Name, Unknown. Age, two hundred and ninety-nine. Martian status: Unknown."

Suddenly, the screen flicks over to something else, a woman. "You are here because you want to know the truth about this starship, and I am talking to you because you're entitled to know," the woman says. "When this presentation has finished, you will have a choice. You may either protest or forget. If you choose to protest, understand this. If just one percent of the population of this ship do likewise, the programme will be discontinued with consequences for you all.

"If you choose to accept the situation, and we hope that you will, then press the Forget button. All the information I'm about to give you will be erased from your memory. You will continue to enjoy the safety and amenities of Starship UK, unburdened by the knowledge of what has been done to save you. Here then, is the truth about Starship UK, and the price that has been paid for the safety of the British people." She paused, "May God have mercy on our souls."

Then the video plays, and my eyes widen. My breathing escalates with every second. Once it is over, my eyes are as wide as saucers, and I stumbled back, out of my chair. Then, there is a red light, recording.

"This is sick! This is sick!! You people are insane! What the hell is wrong with you people?!" I take deep calming breaths, and look at the screen, my eyes filled with hatred. "After thirty centuries, you'd think that the humanity would gain more sense!" I laugh humorlessly. "You see something pretty and you cage it up?! That's what you people do? Huh?! I'm not going to forget about this, hell no!"

My hand slams down on the 'Protest' button, and the puppet on the wall turns to its demonic face. The floor began to open, revealing a large dark pit. I quickly take off the Doctor's jacket and toss it on the chair, just as my feet slipped into the dark, dark pit.

••-•/---/•-•/--•/•/-

Doctor's POV

He sonicked the door to where Hazel should be. He entered with Mandy and Amy to find a the scowling face of a puppet and a empty room. He looked down, his tweed jacket was on the chair, and the video recording was rolling.

"This is sick! This is sick!!" The recorded messaging of Hazel screamed. "You people are insane! What the hell is wrong with you people?!" He watched the recording, as she paced the room, breathing heavily. "After thirty centuries, you'd think that the humanity would gain more sense! You see something pretty and you cage it up?! That's what you people do? Huh?! I'm not going to forget about this, hell no!" Her hand slams down on the 'Protest' button, and the video ends.

"She protested? Why did she protest?" Mandy questioned with a frown.

"Real question is, what happens if we do," he replies. Before anyone could question, he slams his hand on the Protest button, and he door shuts, keeping Mandy out. The flooring opens up, revealing a seemingly endless chute. He puts his jacket on and grins, "Say whee!!"

"AAUGH!!"

•--•/•-•/---/-/•/•••/-

Hazel's POV

I landed roughly on some kind of moist flooring, in smelly room. My eyes widen, and I scrambled up, taking the bandage off my wings that strapped them down. I looked around, remembering the video. If there was a 'Star Whale' strapped to the bottom of this ship then...

There is a distant animal noise, and I jump. It's the mouth! It's the mouth!!

I shot out my wings, its just barely enough to keep it from touching the sides, and hover away from the ground. Pain shoots through my right wing, but I ignore it. A swallow reflex is the last thing I wa--

My thoughts were cut off by a loud yelling and then something falling on top of me. I hissed in pain, since it landed on my injured wing, and moved. There's a ear-shattering scream, and another thud. I cover my ears, painfully. "Stop screaming!" I yelled, rubbing my wing. It was covering in saliva, but I smelt a bit of blood also, it was bleeding again...

"Hazel! You're okay!" The Doctor said, wrapping his arms around me. He noticed that my wings were out, and frowned, "Your wing! Oh my, did I land on it!?"

"I'm fine," I replied, not needing him to worry about me. The bandage was no use now, it was covered in saliva and would infect my wings.

"Where are we?" Amy asked.

"Six hundred feet down, twenty miles laterally, puts us at the heart of the ship," he answered her. "I'd say Lancashire. What's this then, a cave? Can't be a cave. Looks like a cave."

"It's a rubbish dump, and it's minging!" She frowned, wiping the saliva off her body uselessly.

"Yes, but only food refuse," he said. "Organic, coming through feeder tubes from all over the ship."

"Doctor, we need to get out of here," I tell him, but doesn't seem to notice.

"The floor's all squidgy, like a water bed," Amy jumps a little, and I grab her hand, making her stop.

"Stop it! You'll get us all killed!" I hissed at her.

"Wha-- killed?" Amy frowns. Then, the animalistic growl from earlier repeats and my eyes widen.

The Doctor seemed to notice this too, because he turned to me, his eyes widened, "Er, it's not a floor, it's a... So."

"It's a what?"

"The next word is kind of a scary word," he admitted. "You probably want to take a moment, get yourself in a calm place. Go omm."

"Omm...?"

"It's a tongue," the Doctor and I say at the same time.

Amy stops 'omm-ing' and frowned, "A tongue?"

"A tongue. A great bit tongue."

"This is a mouth," Amy said slowly, trying to make sense of the situation. "This whole place is a mouth? We're in a mouth?"

"Yes we are, and if we don't get out, then we get eaten!" I yelled, holding my wing close to my body.

"On the plus side, roomy!" The Doctor grins. I resisted the urge to hit him for the comment.

"How do we get out?" Amy asked.

"How big is this beastie?" The Doctor awed, "It's gorgeous. Blimey, if this is just the mouth, I'd love to see the stomach." He paused when another deep growl ran through the air. "Though not right now."

"Doctor!" I shouted, and he turned to me. "How do we get out?!"

"Okay," he stops playing around, and takes out his flashlight, again. "It's being fed through surgically implanted feeder tubes, so the normal entrance is closed for business." I look forward to see a large row of gigantic teeth.

"We could try, though," Amy walks over to the teeth, but I move to grab her, only to slip on something and fall to the ground.

"Amy, no! Stop! Don't move!" The Doctor says, but it's too late. The floor rumbles, and vibrates violently, "Too late! Its already started!"

"What has!?" Amy asked, trying to hold onto something, but finding nothing of the sort. I tried to stand back up, but with all the vibrating and slippery ground, I couldn't stand properly.

"Swallow reflex!" The Doctor answered, gulping himself. He took out his flashlight, and pointed it at the over-sized tongue.

"What are you doing?!" Amy yelled.

"I'm vibrating the chemo-receptors!"

"Chemo-what?!"

"The eject button!" He shouted.

"How does a mouth have a eject button!?"

"Think about it," I said, just as a sickly wave of yellow vomit approaches us.

"Right, then," he fixes his bow-tie and helps me up. "This isn't going to be big on dignity. Geronimo!"

The vomit collides with us, and my senses go haywire. The smell alone could knock you out! I cover my wing as much as I could. We are released from the mouth, and poured down some kind of disgusting, yellow pipe, that filters into a pool.

I sat down, watching the Doctor check his body, breathing heavily. I look at my wing, it's dripping with vomit, and I hadn't managed to cover it completely. The vomit mixes with the blood, turning it a weird yellowish-red. I sighed, and lean back, I notice that the Doctor looks at me. "I did land on your wing," he frowned.

"It doesn't matter, I'm fine," I said, getting up. My wing drags on the ground slightly, and I hissed in pain. It's in worse shape than I thought. I wouldn't be able to fly for at least a day, maybe two.

"Oh. Phew. Can we get out," she asked a bit suggestively.

"Just a moment," he said, and points his flashlight at my wing. "Oh my. You must be in a lot of pain right now," he looked at me worryingly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine I--" suddenly, a large spike of pain goes through my body. I hissed, and gritted my teeth. "Let's get out of here."

The Doctor stared at me for a few seconds, "Fine. Yes. Alright," he nodded. "One door, one door switch, one condition. We forget everything we saw. Look familiar?" He pointed to the booth, this time it only had the 'forget' button. There were two creepy puppets beside it.

"That's the carrot. Ooo, here's the stick," the two puppet booths light up, and turn to us. "There's a creature living in the heart of this ship. What's it doing there?" They slowly turn from a smiling puppet, to a frowning one, and the Doctor continues. "No, that's not going to work on me, so come on. Big old beast below decks, and everyone who protests gets shoved down its throat. That how it works?"

Then they turn from frowning to the demonic scowling face. "Oh, stop it," he rolled his eyes. "I'm not leaving and I'm not forgetting, and what are you fellows going to do about it? Stick out your tongues, huh?"

The booths open and they step out. They're about 6'2" and staring at us. "Doctor..." Amy whispered to the man.

Then, a woman steps between us, takes two guns out, and shoots the mechanical puppets dead. "Look who it is," the Doctor grinned. "You look a lot better without your mask."

She turns around, and I see a beautiful dark-skinned woman. She has large curly dark brown hair, similar to mines, and wore a bright red dress, the same shade as Mandy's.

"You must be Amy and Hazel," the woman says, paying no mind to my over-sized wings dragging on the floor. Either she didn't see them, or simply didn't care. "Liz. Liz Ten"

"Hi," Amy said, and I waved a little.

"Yuck. Lovely hair, Amy. Shame about the sick. You know Mandy, yeah? She's very brave." She looked at me, "When I heard that you were a special girl, I didn't know he meant you had wings."

I frowned, and tried to wipe the vomit off my wing, "Yep that's me, special..." I muttered, gagging at the sickly scent on my person.

"How did you find us?" The Doctor asked.

"Stuck my gizmo on you," She answered. "Been listening in. Nice moves on the hurl escape. So, what's the big fella doing here?"

"You're over sixteen, you've voted. Whatever this is, you've chosen to forget about it," he accused.

"No. Never forgot, never voted, not technically a British subject," she shrugged, and began walking, with us following closely behind.

"Then who and what are you, and how do you know me?" The Doctor questioned.

"You're a bit hard to miss, love," She smiled. "Mysterious stranger, M O consistent with higher alien intelligence, hair of an idiot. I've been brought up on the stories. My whole family was."

"You're family?"

"They're repairing," She says, referring to the dead drones. "Doesn't take them long. Let's move."

\--•-/••-/•/•/-•

"The Doctor. Old drinking buddy of Henry Twelve. Tea and scones with Liz Two," She says. "Vicky was a bit on the fence about you, weren't she? Knighted and exiled you on the same day. And so much for the Virgin Queen, you bad, bad boy."

I snickered, "You mean he fuc--"

"Hey! No bad language!" The Doctor says, interrupting me, and blushing lightly.

Liz ten smirked, "Something like that. Liz Ten, yeah. Elizabeth the Tenth. And down!" We duck down as she turned around, shooting at the puppets that were trailing us.

She looked at the Doctor, who had shock written all over his face. "I'm the bloody Queen, mate. Basically, I rule."

I look at her, "Okay! 'Meet a super-awesome-badass queen before I die' can be checked off my bucket list!" I grinned and she laughed heartily.

•••/--/••/•-••/•/•-•

We are in front of a large grate that contains, some kind of tentacles, flailing about. The Star whale...

"There's a high-speed Vator through there," Liz Ten says over the loud noise. "Oh, yeah. There's these things. Any ideas?"

"Doctor, I saw one of these up top," Amy says. "There was a hole in the road, like it had burst through like a root."

"Exactly like a root," he said. "It's all one creature, the same one we were inside, reaching out. It must be growing through the mechanisms of the entire ship."

"What, like an infestation? Someone's helping it," Liz Ten says. "Feeding it. Feeding my subjects to it. Come on. Got to keep moving." Her and Mandy leave the room, leaving the two of us. I look at the claw, a grim expression on my face.

"Hazel," the Doctor says behind me, "We're going."

I nodded and stared at the flailing tentacles for a few seconds more, and then leave.

Humans... Are the worst monsters.

\--•/•-••/•-/•••/•••/•/•••

"Why all the glasses?" The Doctor asked, as we entered the room. There were about thirty glasses on the ground, all filled with water.

"To remind me every single day that my government is up to something," she says. "And it's my duty to find out what."

"A queen going undercover to investigate her own kingdom?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow, looking at the glass.

"Secrets are being kept from me. I don't have a choice," she sighed, "Ten years I've been at this. My entire reign. And you've achieved more in one afternoon."

"How old were you when you came to the throne?"

"Forty. Why?"

"What, you're fifty now?" Amy gasped, "No way."

"Yeah, they slowed my body clock," She explained. "Keeps me looking like the stamps."

"And you always wear this in public?" The Doctor continued.

"Undercover is not easy when you're me," she shrugged. "The autographs, the bunting."

He points his flashlight at it, "Air-balanced porcelain. Stays on by itself, because it's perfectly sculpted to your face."

"Yeah? So what?" She frowned, taking it back.

"Oh, Liz. So everything." A group of people dressed in black enters the room.

"What are you doing?" She glared at them as one of them step forward. He is also wearing a long black coat and a hood. "How dare you come in here?"

"Ma'am, you have expressed interest in the interior workings of Starship UK," the man says. I notice that they're is something off about him. "You will come with us now."

I frown and strain my ears, "Why would I do that?" She continues.

Then, his face turns from a human's to a puppet's. "Just as I thought," I frowned.

"What?" Amy asked, looking at me.

"They're not right. I can hear a human heart, and machines turning. They're--"

"Half Human, half smiler," the Doctor finished.

"Whatever you creatures are, I am still your queen," She says, boldness shining in her voice. "On whose authority is this done?"

"The highest authority, ma'am," the puppet-human answered.

"I am the highest authority!"

"Yes, ma'am. You must go now, Ma'am," he says.

"Where?"

"The Tower, ma'am."

•-••/•-/•••/-

We walk down a long flight of steps, my glare at the ground intensifies with every step. "What'd the ground do to you?" The Doctor asked, teasingly.

"I hate humans," I muttered, and the Doctor's smile melts. "Too evil. Too curious. They see something pretty and they destroy it. They're always looking for ways to benefit themselves and never stop to think."

"You chose to Protest," the Doctor says. "Why?"

"It's not right. This is evil," I muttered, rubbing my wing to calm myself down.

"What are they doing?" He asked, just as we approached a large door.

"See for yourself," I replied, going through the large door.

The room is very hot, and had a bunch if little kids running around. There are also a few adults, and puppets, or Smilers, as the Doctor called it.

"Doctor, where are we?" Amy asked, looking around.

"The lowest point of Starship UK," the Doctor answered. "The dungeon."

I snorted, "Ironic really. Naming the lowest part of the city, the Tower."

"Ma'am," someone says. I turn to look at a man wearing a long white lab coat, and a frown on his face. I glare at the Whitecoat.

"Hawthorne. So this is where you hid yourself away," Liz Ten growled, anything but pleased. "I think you've got some explaining to do."

"There's children down here," the Doctor said. "What's all that about?"

"Protesters and citizens of limited value are fed to the beast," I clenched my fists at his words, my glare not dropping. "For some reason, it won't eat the children. You're the first adults it's spared. You're very lucky."

"Yeah, look at us. Torture chamber of the Tower of London. Lucky, lucky, lucky " the Doctor said. "Except it's not a torture chamber, is it? Well, except it is. Except it isn't. Depends on your angle."

He walked over to the railing and I trailed behind him. I gasped when I saw a large opening to the Star Whale's brain. There was a long pointy metal pole hanging from the ceiling. Electricity circulated around it, sending the Star Whale what seem like a thousand volts of electricity. Everything the Whale was shocked, I jumped, and clenched my fists tighter. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on ends and I glared daggers at the Whitecoat.

"What's that?" Liz Ten asked, peering into the pit.

"It's the brain," I growled. "And they are torturing it!" The Doctor gave me a look, and I continued. "You wanna know how this ship moves without an engine? Because you have a Star Whale strapped to the bottom being relentlessly tortured! And this," I motioned to the large-pointy-electricity-thing, "Is its gas pedal. This makes sure that you and your subjects petty little lives are able to keep moving and go faster!"

I turned to the Whitecoat, "Ever wondered what the whale has to say about this?! Huh?!" The man didn't answer. "It's SCREAMING! I can hear it! It's screaming, pleading for you to stop! And you just keep going, you keep pushing the gas pedal! And not having a single care in the world because you're trying to help the people! Help all the lives above! Have you even thought that it was in pain!? Have you!?"

The room was silent, and I glared at the man, who looked away, probably ashamed now. "Tell me, how many times a day have you thought that maybe, just maybe, you were hurting it?" He doesn't answer. "How many!?"

"Hazel--" the Doctor says, but I glare at him too, and he backs up.

"I never... Thought of it like that..." The man muttered.

"Course you haven't," I said coldly. "You're a Whitecoat. You only think about how something will benefits you. You're scum. Monsters like you don't deserve to live." I turned to the Doctor, "Release the Star Whale."

The tension in the room is heavy, and I turn on my heel, walking away. My fists are clenched and my nails driving into my palms. I went to go stand near the railing where the tentacles were.

I heard them talking for a few minutes, the Doctor raises his voice a few times, but I didn't really listen. I glanced at the tentacle that it waving around beside me. Then, it stops, and seems stop at me.

I looked at it, as the tentacle stretches itself over the short railing, and near me. It rubbed its claw against my face. A small smile finds itself on my lips, and I gently stroke the hard claw. "I'm so sorry," I whispered softly. I can't help but feel myself in the Star Whale's situation. Being trapped and tortured relentlessly. Crying day in and day out, wishing that maybe someone, something, might come and save me. Being pushed to the point where I wish that they would kill me. That the bloodthirsty Whitecoats were doing this all for the sake of 'science'! It was so they could better humanity, make humanity stronger, better, more efficient. And doing it by any means necessary.

This wasn't fair, I thought, rubbing my wing to calm myself down. This is not fair, at all. Not fair to the Star Whale, to the people, to anyone! Cruel is the only word that seems to describe this situation. Cruel is the word that describes most situations that I find myself in, when caused by humanity. Usually is followed by evil, brutal, and inhumane.

I sighed and ran a hand through my messy mane, "Humanity is evil," I muttered to myself, standing up and walking over to where the Doctor was.

"I thought I had made it clear that nobody human has anything to say to me," he growled, working on some sort of circuitry.

"Not fully human," I shrugged, taking a seat beside him.

"You said that you hated humans, is this why?" He asked, and I gave him a short nod in response.

"One of the reasons."

"You have more?"

"I have hundreds," he rose an eyebrow, "Had a lifetime to think about it."

"You're only fourteen."

"For someone who came from where I did, then that's more than a lifetime," I sighed, and covered my eyes with my arm, peeking out enough to see Mandy and some other kid talking, laughing, and playing with the Star Whale's tentacle.

"This school you talked about. What did they do to you?" The Doctor asked.

I didn't answer, I just stared at the kids, "They look so happy," I murmured, loud enough for the Doctor to hear.

The Doctor stared at me, about to say something, when suddenly Amy shoots up. "Doctor, stop," she shouted. "Whatever you're doing, stop it now! Sorry, Your Majesty. Going to need a hand."

She drags the woman to the buttons, and slams her hand on the abdicate button. The Whale roars, and the ships begins to shake. I notice that a small girl near the tentacles slips and falls under the railing.

Quickly, I run as fast as I could, and jump down. My wings out, and fly down the shaft. I catch the screaming girl mid-fall, and fly back up the shaft. As soon as I get back to the edge, I pushed the girl back, my wings hanging limply and my arms are shaking.

I carefully pull myself back up, l feel a tentacle snake around my waist, and helps me. "Hazel!" The Doctor says, as soon as I'm back on the ground.

I look over to the girl, who has tears in her eyes, "Hey, hey," I said, bending down to her level and taking her by the shoulders. "Are you okay?"

She holds out her arm, which had a deep cut on it. She must've snagged it on a loose pipe or something when she fell, I thought. "It hurts, doesn't it?" She nodded, a few more tears falling down her cheeks. "It's okay. I can fix that." I got to my chest, taking out one of my knives that I kept in my bra, and slit my wrist, making blood come out lightly. I take her hand and rub my blood over her arm, and the wound. Quickly, it begins to close.

"Whoa..." The girl awes, feeling her arm. "How'd you do that?"

"Does it hurt anymore?" I asked, avoiding the question, and she shook her head, no. "Good. Good. That's great," I nodded. "Go on then."

Her arms wrap around my neck, "Thank you!" She said. I stood there stiffly for a few seconds, and she lets go, and runs off.

I stand up shakily, my wing is throbbing with pain. "You saved her," the Doctor says.

I nodded, and felt my wing, but when I moved it, a sharp pain went through it. I hissed, and retracted my hand. "Are you okay?" The Doctor asked as I took slow step. I felt the aftereffects of healing the girl are hitting me like a bag of bricks.

I quickly gripped the table where the Doctor was working. I heard the Doctor shout my name before my hands loosen, and I hit the ground with a heavy thud.

•••/-/•-/•-•/•••/••••/••/•--•

I woke up groggily to the same white pearly ceiling. I shot up to see the Doctor sitting beside me, reading a book. He glanced at me, then back down at his book, then back at me, with a surprised look on his face.

"You're awake!" He grinned, throwing the book behind him.

"The Star Whale!" I said, "What happened to the Star Whale!?"

"It's fine. Flying about with a country on his back," he grinned. "Liz Ten's still in authority, and nobody's getting hurt!"

At the news, I sighed, and leaned back in the bed. "You said you hated humans, but you saved that girl," the Doctor says. "Why?"

"She was a little kid, whole life ahead of her. I couldn't just stand there and watch her die," I said. "I'm not that cold-hearted."

The Doctor stared at me, then he clapped his hands together loudly. "That's nice to know. You hurt your wings badly when you were saving her, and when I landed on them -- so sorry about that, by the way. I've wrapped them up as best as I could, so I hope you don't mind."

I nodded. "Great," he grinned. "Amy and I got a call from a friend, so we're going to get to that. You... Stay here. Relax. Heal, et cetera. If you need anything, Amy said to give you this," he dug into his pocket, pulling out a slip of paper -- not before pulling out several other things that shouldn't even fit in there -- and handed it to me. "Amy says that it has her telephone number on it. Use that."

He jumped up and went to the door, "I'll see you when I get back!" With that, he exited the room, with me sitting there, with a slip of paper in my hands.

"What?"


	4. chapter four:

Chapter 4:

Hazel's POV

After the Doctor left without another word, I sat there for a few moments, just staring at the door, until finally, I got up. My bare feet rubbed against the cold metal flooring, as I walked down the hallway. It was really quiet, the entire TARDIS was just eerily... Silent, except for the humming sound that came from the halls.

My footsteps were light against the metal flooring, and I looked around. After about ten minutes of mindless wandering, I came across a room, with the door opened.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I went in, discovering a huge room. It was filled with bookshelves that went as high as nearly fifty feet and as far back as the eye could see. I gaped, and walked around. I spotted a few wood-burning fireplaces and comfy looking chairs beside it.

I walked around the bookshelves, looking around. There were books varying from scientific theories to histories of entire plants to even fiction!

After just browsing, I decided to take a few off the shelves and skim through them, and put them back. I soon grew weary of just standing there 'skimming' through, so I just took a bunch that I thought were interesting, and bring them over to the comfy looking chairs, and thoroughly reading through them.

With the fire -- that lit itself -- crackling softly, and a very comfortable chair that I could sit in without having my wings ache, and a bunch if books for me to read, I got comfortable very easily. I had gone through at least seven book, three were fantasy and the rest were about the cultures of other planets and civilizations.

Apparently, what felt like a few minutes was really hours. I heard someone enter the room, "Hazel? Are you in here?" A Scottish voice said.

"Over here!" I called, not wanting to move from my current comfy position. I was upside-down on the end of a chair, reading. I saw Amy and the Doctor in my peripheral vision.

"Is that comfortable?" She asked amusingly.

"Yes, actually, it is," I nodded, flipping another page. I saw the Doctor come over, and move his head to read the spine of the book. "Hm... Angel on High by Jazz Patteran (A/N totally not James Patterson). Isn't this one about the kids with wings?"

"Yes, it is," I turned the next page, "Completely unrealistic. How are you going to go to school with wings on your back and expect nobody to notice? And you can't just put a over-sized jacket on top, they'll still see the bumps! You've got to tie them down, and tuck your shirt under it so no feathers fall out!"

The Doctor rose an eyebrow, "Looks like you've given this a lot of thought. How far are you?"

"I've had ten minutes to think about it," I said. "I'm just finished, give me a second." I read the last few pages, a frown forming on my lips, and I rose an eyebrow.

"You read the book in ten minutes?" Amy questioned, disbelievingly.

"Yeah, I know right," I sighed. "I had to reread it to understand the plot since its all over the place! This author needs to choose a story and stick with it!"

Amy chuckled and I tossed the book behind me, making it hit the stack of other books. Amy nodded impressively, and I flipped off the end of the chair and hitting the ground. "Oh look at you," the Doctor rolled his eyes, "All flippity!"

I grinned, then stumbled a bit, "Okay..." I muttered, "Must've given her too much blood, jesus."

The Doctor gave me a look, "I've meant to ask you about that," He took my arm, pulling up my sleeve, and checking the cut that I gave myself. "You cut really deep..."

"What did you do that for, anyway?" Amy asked, peering over at my arm that held a short pale line that was the cut.

"My blood. It... Kind of like healing blood," I rubbed the back of my head. "It'll heal wounds, usually."

"'Usually'?"

"Well, sometimes, it'll be very acidic and just burn through things, but that's rare and beyond the point."

"Your blood heals people?" Amy frowned, "What else do we not know about you?"

"I can turn invisible, control metal, and my voice mesmerizes people into doing whatever I want them to do." At this, Amy froze.

"... Are you serious...?" She asked, dumbly, I nodded.

"You can turn INVISIBLE!" The Doctor nearly screeched. "Lemme see, lemme see!"

I rolled my eyes, "I can't keep it up for long. I'm not fully healed. But," I closed my eyes, and focused. A minute later, I looked at my hand, which was translucent. "Like I said, I can't do it fully."

The Doctor looked like a child on Christmas, and pointed his flashlight at me. I puffed out my cheeks, and looked away. "Stop pointing that flashlight at me. It's annoying."

"It's not a torch!" He scolded, "It's a sonic screwdriver!"

"A sonic screwdriver?" I frowned, I read about sonic technology earlier. "You sonicked a screwdriver? Why not a gun or something?"

He gave me a look, "How do you know about sonic technology?"

I rolled my eyes, went to the table where the stack of books were and pulled out a particular navy colored book, and chucked it at him. Unfortunately, he caught it before it could make contact with his face.

Amy looked at the book, "'Everything You Could Possibly Know About Sonic Technology'."

He huffed, and tossed the book behind him, "Okay, fine. Hurry up and change. I wanna show you two something!" He clapped his hands, took Amy's hand, and ran out the room.

"Change where?!" I called, going after him.

He stopped in his tracks. "Oh right. You don't have your room yet. Go down that hallway, take a right, two lefts, up the steps, and once you see the fork in the hallway, you know you're going to the wrong way."

I opened my mouth to object, but he was already gone.

I sighed, and began my way down the hall, mindlessly wandering. Again.

•-/-•/--•/•/•-••/•••

After a while, I had found Amy, who had been looking for me. She, fortunately, helped me find the room I was looking for, which was actually a hallway, with a bunch of doors.

"Pick a door," she instructed, "If it opens, then it's yours. Or so the Doctor told me."

I nodded, and tried all the doors. After my eleventh try, when I had nearly given up, I heard the door click, and the creak open. I looked at Amy, who smirked at me.

Just before I opened the door, I heard the footsteps race down the hall, and enter the hallway. "Wait! Wait!" The Doctor said, out of breath.

"What?" I questioned, a bit mad that he had sent me on a wild goose chase earlier.

"I wanna see your room," he grinned.

I rolled my eyes, and opened the door. At first it was really dark, but then the lights turned on, and I gasped.

The room was huge. The ceiling stretched really high, nearly as high as the Library's, and was very wide. The walls made it look like I was outside. Like, it actually looked like it was outside! There were 3-D clouds going from side to side of the room, and the bed was along the side. It was a bunk bed, but instead of having a bed on the bottom, it was just a table. Along the wall were tall trees, painted into the wall, but had cubicles in them that held books. It made it look like the tree was hollowed out! I noticed that in the ceiling, there were small hammocks that were swinging back and forth.

This... Is mine...?

I just stared at the room, not moving, "Wow, the Old Girl must really like you, to do something like this!" The Doctor awed, looking around. Amy followed him, looking around. "The holograms were a nice touch don't you think, Hazel?"

The Doctor turned to me, his eyes slowly widening, "You're crying! Why are you crying?" He looked at Amy, "Why is she crying!?"

Tears slowly fell down my face, hitting the soft green carpeting beneath my toes. I quickly wiped them away, and sniffed, "I'm sorry, it's just... I've never had an actual bedroom before..." A smile broke out through my tears. "Thank you."

He blinked, and looked at me, "Oh. Um, you are welcome then!" He smiled at me, and fixed his bow-tie. "I hope you like it then!"

"I love it!" I grinned.

•••/-/---/-•/•

I had dressed in a over-sized large blue hoodie, the same shade as the exterior of the TARDIS, with my wings tied back tightly. I wore jeans, and black sneakers as well, and my hair was tied back into a tight ponytail.

Once I had also checked my wings too, it felt pretty fine, apparently. The bullet wound had completely closed up, and I know someone -- probably the Doctor -- had put some kind of healing cream in it because it healed faster, and I could smell it.

I walked down the long corridors of the TARDIS, before finally finding the console room. "Ready?" Amy asked, standing near the Doctor.

"Yep," I nodded. "Let's go!"

•••/---/-•/--•

We were in a museum, about 12,000 years later. "Wrong. Wrong," the Doctor complained. "Bit right, mostly wrong. I love museums."

"Yeah, great. Can we go to a planet now?" She pleaded, "Big space ship? Churchill's bunker? You promised me a planet next!"

"Amy, this isn't any old asteroid," he scolded. "It's the Delerium Archive, the final resting place of the headless monks. The biggest museum ever. And besides, Hazel seems to like it!" He grinned over at me, as I examined one of the artifacts in a glass casing.

I was studying the large irregularly shaped stone. It was a dark red, and according to the plaque, from the Jilieriun Galaxy, one I had read about in the book. The people thought that this particular stone could grant wishes, and was really rare. This is the last one that was scavenged before the entire galaxy collapse due to something called the 'Time War'.

"She's staring at a rock," Amy huffed. "'Sides, you've got a time machine, what do you need museums for?"

"Wrong. Very wrong. Ooo, one of mine. Also one of mine!" He grinned, looking at the artifacts. I turned around and rose an eyebrow at him.

"Is this how you keep track?" I asked.

"No. Well, yeah. But that's beyond the point," he said, and picked up a small black box.

"Oh great," Amy rolled her eyes, "It's an old box."

"It's from one of the old starliners. A Home Box," the Doctor turned it over, examining it.

"What's a Home Box?" Amy asked.

"Like a black box on a plane, except it homes," I rolled my eyes at his explanation. "Anything happens to the ship, the Home Box flies home with all the flight data."

"So?"

"The writing, the graffiti," he explained. "Old High Gallifreyan. The lost language of the Time Lords. There were days, there were many days, these words could burn stars and raise up empires, and topple gods."

"What's it say?"

"'Hello Sweetie'."

He carefully takes the box out of it's casing. "Why are we doing this?" Amy asked as he picks up the box.

"Because someone on a spaceship twelve thousand years ago is trying to attract my attention," he explained. "Let's see if we can get the security playback working."

He grabbed out hands, and we ran back to the TARDIS.

Just before we entered, I swear I saw a glimpse of shimmering black wings with brown dots in one of the casings, on the wall. "Wha--"

The doors were closed on my face and the Doctor and Amy scurried over to the console, fussing over the box. I frowned, there's no way... I didn't just see my wings. That's not possible...

Suddenly, the TARDIS jolts again. I move to the railing and hold on. The Doctor goes to the door, and opens it, just as a blur of a blonde messy hair comes in.

Then, there is a woman on top of the Doctor. She had a black dress, red heels and a hand purse beside her. Her head held a wild mess of dirty blond hair -- although I can't really say anything, since my hair is just as bad -- and pink lipstick. "River?"

"Doctor?" Amy said.

"Follow that ship," the woman orders, and they both get up, and go to the console. "They've gone into warp drive. We're losing them. Stay close."

"I'm trying," the Doctor answers.

"Use the stabilizers," she says.

"They're aren't any stabilizers."

"The blue switches."

"Oh, the blue ones don't do anything, they're just blue."

"Yes, they're blue. Look, they're the blue stabilizers!" She presses the blue switch, and TARDIS immediately stops jolting. "See?" She has a smug look on her face.

"Yeah. Well, it's just boring now, isn't it?" He pouted, "They're boring-ers. They're blue boring-ers."

"Doctor, how come she can fly the TARDIS?" Amy asked, just as confused as I was.

"You call that flying the TARDIS? Ha!"

"Okay. I've mapped the probability vectors, done a fold-back on the temporal isometry, charted the ship to its destination, and parked us right along side," River grinned.

"Parked us? We haven't landed," he frowned.

"Of course we've landed. I just landed her."

"But, she didn't make the noise!"

"What noise?"

"You know, the," he makes this weird noise with his mouth that sounds like a dying cat.

"It's not supposed to make that noise. You leave the brakes on." At this, I snorted.

"Yeah, well, it's a brilliant noise," he rolled his eyes. "I love that noise. Come along, Pond. Let's have a look."

"No, wait," She says, as if she is scolding a child. "Environment checks."

"Oh yes, sorry. Quite right. Environment checks," he nodded, going to the door and poking his head out. "Nice out."

"We're somewhere in the Garn Belt," She says. "There's an atmosphere. Early indications suggest that--"

"We're on Alfava Metraxis, the seventh planet of the Dundra System," he finished. "Oxygen rich atmosphere, all toxins in the soft band, eleven hour day and chances of rain later."

"He thinks he's so hot when he does that," she rolled her eyes.

"How come you can fly the TARDIS?" Amy asked.

"Oh, I had lessons from the very best."

The Doctor grinned, adjusting his bow-tie, "Well, yeah."

"It's a shame you were busy that day," his smile melted. "Right then, why did they land here?"

"They didn't land," the Doctor said.

"Sorry?"

"You should've checked the Home Box," he frowned. "It crashed." Then we all left the TARDIS and the Doctor was right. On the large mountain before us was a burning ship, well a wrecked ship now. Several streams of smoke left the ship and went into the air. There were also a few large fires here and there that seemed to be dying down, but it was hard to tell because the ship looked so big. 

"Explain," Any demanded once the woman had left the too to see the crash. "Who that and how did she do that museum thing?"

"It's a long story and I don't know most of it," he shrugged, and turned to the TARDIS. "Off we go!"

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Leaving," he answered. "She's got where she wants to go, let's go where we want to go."

"Are you basically running away?" Amy rose an eyebrow.

"Yep," he nodded.

"Why?"

"Because she's the future. My future."

"And you can run away from that?" Amy scoffed.

"I can run away from anything I like. Time is not the boss of me."

"Hang on, is that a planet out there?" Amy asked.

"Yes, of course it's a planet," he rolled his eyes.

"Can we go?" I asked.

"You did promise us a planet," Amy continued. "Five minutes?"

He looked, at Amy, who had somewhat of a pleading look. "Okay, fine, five minutes," he finally caved.

"YES!" Amy shouted triumphantly.

"But that's all," he said, as we walked. "Because I'm telling you now, that woman is not dragging me into anything."

•-•/••/•••-/•/•-•

We were in some kind of cave with a ship crashed into the side. "What caused the crash?" I asked, sniffing a bit because the smoke was irritating my nose.

"Not me," the woman said quickly. I scoffed.

"Nah, the airlock would've sealed seconds after you blew it," the Doctor clarified. "According to the Home Box, the warp engines had a phase shift. No survivors."

"A phase shift would have to be sabotage," she sighed. " I did warn them."

"About what?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, at least the building was empty," she said, avoiding his question. "Aplan temple. Unoccupied for centuries."

The wind blew and my nose caught onto her scent. She smelled like lavenders or some kind of perfume like that, but that's not all that she smelled like. I frowned, and took her hand, and without warning, sniffing it. As soon as I did, my eyes widened. "Why do you--"

Before I could answer, she covered my mouth, "I know, I'll explain later," she whispered in my ear. I gave her a weird glance, but let her go.

"Why did you sniff her?" The Doctor asked, giving me a weird look.

"No reason," I waved my hand, dismissing the subject. "I think that Amy and I deserve a introduction right about now."

He gave me a weird look, "This is Professor River Song."

"Ah, I'm going to be a Professor some day, am I?" She smirked, "How exciting. Spoilers."

"Yeah, but who is she and how did she do that?" Amy asked, "She just left you a note in a museum."

"Two things always guaranteed to show up in a museum," she explained. "The Home Box of category four starliner and sooner or later, him. It's how he keeps score."

"I know!" Amy laughed.

"Hilarious, isn't it?" River grinned.

"I'm nobody's taxi service," the Doctor said, interrupting the duo. "I'm not going to be there to catch you every time you feel like jumping out of a space ship!"

She looked at him, a smirk settled on her face. "And you are so wrong," she sighed. "There's one survivor. There's a thing in the belly of that ship that can't ever die. Now he's listening." She goes to her box, which by the antenna on the top, I assume is a communicator of some sort, and pulls it out. "You lot in orbit yet? Yeah, I saw it land. I'm at the crash site. Try and home in on my signal. Doctor, can you sonic me? I need to boost the signal so we can use it as a beacon."

He frowned at her, but pulls out his sonic screwdriver, and sonicked her anyway. "Ooo, you sonicked her!" Amy teased.

"We have a minute. Shall we?" She pulls out a blue book, with rectangles on it. It somewhat resembles the TARDIS's exterior. "Where are we up to? Have we done the Bone Meadows?"

"What's the book?" Amy asked.

"Stay away from it."

"What is it though?"

"Her diary."

"Our diary," she corrected.

"Her past, my future," he explained. "Time travel. We keep meeting in the wrong order."

Suddenly, four small wind cycles emerge from the side, and then, four men take its place. They each have weapons, like soldiers. One of them step forward, somewhat of a scowl on his lips. "You promised me an army, Doctor Song."

"No, I promised you the equivalent of an army," she corrected. "This is the Doctor."

"Father Octavian, Sir. Bishop, second class," he puts out his hand, and the Doctor awkwardly shakes it. "Twenty clerics at my command. The troops are already in the drop ship and landing shortly. Doctor Song was helping us with a covert investigation. Has Doctor Song explained what we're dealing with?"

River turned to the Doctor. "Doctor, what do you know of the Weeping Angels?"

•--/•/•/•--•/••/-•/--•

It was nighttime, the soldiers had set up camp and everyone was talking serious stuff about the 'Weeping Angel'. Amy and I, being completely useless, we sat on opposite rocks beside the camp.

"Hey Amy," I finally said, turning to her. "Come here a second."

She looked at me, "What is it?"

"Just... Come here," I insisted.

She sighed, but came to my rock anyway. I quickly snatched her arm and sniffed it. She smelled like vanilla, and other perfumes, but what stuck out was that she smelled like River.

She made a disgusted face, and snatched her hand back, "Why do you keep sniffing people!?" She exclaimed, a light blush on her cheeks, "It's weird."

"Sorry, I just wanted to confirm something," I apologized.

"What is it?" I didn't answer, I just stared at the drop ship. Amy sighed at my silence, and the Doctor came over. "You're letting people call you sir," she smirked, overhearing his conversation with Father Octavian. "You never do that. So, whatever a Weeping Angel is, it's really bad, yeah?"

"Now that's interesting. You two are still here. Which part of wait in the Tardis till I tell you it's safe was so confusing?" He frowned.

Amy grinned amusingly. "Ooo, you are all Mister Grumpy Face today!"

"A Weeping Angel, Amy, is the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life form evolution has ever produced," he ranted. "And right now one of them is trapped inside that wreckage and I'm supposed to climb in after it with a screwdriver and a torch, and assuming I survive the radiation long enough and assuming the whole ship doesn't explode in my face, do something incredibly clever which I haven't actually thought of yet. That's my day. That's what I'm up to. Any questions?"

"Is that a run-on sentence?" I asked curiously.

"Is River Song your wife?" Amy asked, "Because she's someone from your future, and the way she talks to you, I've never seen anyone do that. She's kind of like, you know, heel, boy. She's Mrs Doctor from the future, isn't she? Is she going to be your wife one day?"

"While were on the topic of River," I intervened. "What exactly is she?"

He stared at the two of us like we had grown extra heads, and sighed, "Yes, you're right. I am definitely Mister Grumpy Face today."

I laughed as River called the Doctor from inside the drop ship. "Doctor! Doctor?"

"Oops," Amy smiled, "Her indoors."

River comes out the door, this time she is wearing army-camouflage. "Father Octavian," she called, as we walked into the ship.

"Why do they call him Father?" Amy asked as we walked.

"He's their Bishop, they're his Clerics," the Doctor explained. "It's the fifty first Century. The Church has moved on." Amy nodded, understandingly.

We entered the ship to see everyone crowded around a television set. On the TV there is a grainy stone statue with angel-like wings, it's arms covering its hand. "What do you think?" River asked the Doctor. "It's from the security cameras in the Byzantium vault. I ripped it when I was on board. Sorry about the quality. It's four seconds. I've put it on loop."

"Yeah, it's an Angel," the Doctor confirmed. "Hands covering it's eyes."

"You've encountered Angels before," this is more of a statement from Father Octavian than a question.

"Once, on Earth, a long time ago," he answered. "But those were scavengers, barely surviving."

"But it's just a statue," Amy frowned.

"It's just a statue when you see it," River corrected.

"Where did it come from?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh, pulled from the ruins of Razbahan," River said casually, "And of last century. It's been in private hands ever since. Dormant all that time."

The Doctor frowned, "There's a difference between dormant and patient."

"What's that mean, it's a statue when you see it?" Amy asked.

"The Weeping Angels can only move if they're unseen," River explained. "So legend has it."

"No, it's not legend," the Doctor said. "It's a quantum lock. In the sight of any living creature the Angels literally cease to exist. They're just stone. The ultimate defense mechanism."

"What, being a stone?" Amy asked.

"Being a stone until you turn your back," he answered gravelly.

I frowned and looked at the screen, "River," I spoke up.

"Yes, what is it?" She turned to me.

"This video, does it have audio?" I asked.

"No, not that I know of. Why?"

My frown deepened, and I stared at the video. "There's something wrong with it."

River looked at me, "What's wrong?"

"I need you guys to leave the room." At this, they looked shocked.

"Why?" The Doctor asked.

"I want to check something," I explained.

"What's wrong, what is it?" River asked, worryingly.

"It's probably nothing," I waved my hand. "Just... Step outside for a second."

Father Octavian scoffed, "I'm not taking orders from a child."

I glared at him, "It'll only be a second. And besides, you might want to go check on your soldiers who are about to set the tents on fire."

"Wha--"

"Father Octavian!" One of the soldiers ran into the drop ship. "There's... Been an accident by the tents!"

He glared at me, and I smirked, "I'll be right back."

River smiled as well, messing up my head. "How'd you know that?" Amy asked.

"I could smell the smoke from a mile away," I shrugged. "But seriously, you three need to go."

"What's wrong with the video?" River asked.

"I'm trying to listen, but it's kind of hard when there's someone with two hearts beating in your ear," I glared at the Doctor, and he frowned.

"I'm sorry, I can't just stop my hearts," he pouted. "Come on, Professor Song." I sighed, I wasn't talking about him.

Once they all left, I stood there, my back turned, closing my eyes, and listening. Sure enough, I heard a very faint, almost unnoticeable, heartbeat. I turned quickly to see the Angel. It's hands were down, and staring at me. "I knew it," I muttered, going to the door, just as Amy came back in.

"Sorry, I know you wanted to be alone, but I just--"

"It's okay," I shrugged. "You're not very loud so it doesn't matter."

"What do you mean I'm-- what happened to the Angel?"

I turned to the Angel, its hands uncovering its eyes and it had gotten closer. "What'd you-- how'd you do that?"

"I didn't," I muttered. "Amy, don't get too close."

Amy ignores me, and walked closer, "Doctor Song?" She called, turning around. "Did you have more than one clip of the Angel?"

"No, just the four seconds," River called back.

Amy and I stare at the angel, the time lapse goes from 11:24 to 11:28. "Amy, we need to go get out of here," I warned the Scottish girl, trying to take her hand.

The time clicked again, and then the door closes. My eyes widen, and I pulled on the door, it didn't budge. Amy rushes over to help me, "Doctor?" She called through the closed door. "Doctor!"

"Amy, watch the angel!" I shouted, remembering what the Doctor had said.

I turned to see the Angel's mouth was open, Amy stared at the image fearfully. "Shit," I muttered. Forcing the metal inside the door to move, but it didn't budge. It was deadlocked!

"Amy! Amy," I said, moving to help her. Her heart was beating erratically. "Amy, calm down." I looked around, before my eyes finally settled on the ceiling. I rose a hand, and forced the metal to turn up, and create a sizable hole.

"Amy, c'mon," I said and grabbed her by the waist, tossing her roughly through the hole. I heard her scream outside, before thudding on the roofing.

"Amy! What are you doing?!" I heard the Doctor shout as I stared at the screen. I tried to open another hole, but everytime I moved to do so, the lights flickered. I cursed, if I didn't have vision on it, then it could do whatever it wanted.

The screen blipped again and now the Angel was out of the television! "Hazel! Hazel, what's going on?!" River's voice said, from outside.

"The Angel's out of the screen. I got Amy out, but whenever I try to move, the lights flicker," I explained. "If I fly out, then the room will go dark and I won't be able to see."

"Don't take your eyes off it," the Doctor warned. "Keep looking. It can't move if you're looking."

"Got it," I said, staring at the Angel.

"The screen. Can you turn it off?" He asked.

"Amy already tried!"

"Try again!"

I sighed, and felt for the remote, after a few minutes, my fingers finally found it. "Don't take your eyes off the angel! Each time it moves, it'll move faster. Don't even blink."

I flip the screen off, but it keeps turning back on. "It's not working! The screen keeps going back on!"

"Yeah, it's the angel."

"How is it doing this?" Amy asked, "It's just a recording!"

"No, anything that takes the image of an Angel is an Angel," he explained. "What are you doing?"

I frowned, 'the image of an Angel, is an Angel...'

The wheels in my head begin to turn, just as I heard the Doctor say, "Hazel, not the eyes!"

"What?"

"Look at the Angel but don't look at the eyes," he explained.

"Doctor, you said that an image of an Angel is an Angel, right?"

"Yes, but--"

"So, if there is no image, there's no Angel," I go into my pants leg, and take out one of my knives, and count the seconds on the screen. "One... Two... Three," I throw the knife through the demonic angel and into the screen. Time seems to slow down, as the screen statics and the knife embedded itself into the glass screen, shattering it. Smoke rises from the broken television screen. "... Four..."

The angel disappears as the door opens, revealing the Doctor, Amy, and River. He stares at me, then at the knife in the television. "Threw a knife in it on the blip," I sighed, sitting on the table. "No image, no angel, right?"

"That's brilliant," River grinned.

I turned to Amy, "Are you okay? Sorry, I had to throw you through the ceiling, I was panicking."

"I-I'm great, yeah. Are you okay?" She asked me.

"River hug Hazel," the Doctor orders as he sonics the broken television set. I hold out my hand, and take the knife out of the television, and back into my pocket. He turned to me. "You keep knives on you!?"

"Yeah, I told you that when I first met you," I rolled my eyes, "'I have several weapons on my person'."

"I thought you were bluffing!"

I scoffed, "I never go anywhere without a knife."

He frowned at me, "I'll... Deal with that later..."

"So it was here? That was the Angel?" River asked.

"That was a projection of the Angel," he grimaced. "It's reaching out, getting a good look at us. It's no longer dormant."

A loud, ear popping explosion sound, making me jump, and cover my ears instinctively. The Doctor and River run out to see what it was, while Amy sits beside me. "Sorry..." I muttered as the rubbed my eye that was irritating me. "Loud things, too much to hear. Makes my head hurt sometimes."

Amy nodded, "S'okay," she looked at me, her smile changing into a confused look. "Earlier, when we were in the library. Why did you tell us about those... Abilities you could do, if you don't trust us?"

"Mutual respect," I shrugged. "I trust you with something, and expect you not to go blogging it."

She nodded understandably, I stared at her, "Amy... Who do you think River is?"

"Hmm?" She looked at me, her green eyes gleaming with mischief, "I don't know about you, but I think she's the Doctor's wife!"

I rose an eyebrow, "You don't think she's, I don't know, maybe... Related to someone you might know?"

At this, she raises an eyebrow, "Why would you think that?"

I looked at her, then gave her a forced smile, "No reason!" I smiled, "Just thinking. Don't listen to me, I'm just rambling. C'mon, let's go see what that explosion was," I get off the chair, walking out of the room, my smile melting.

If River is from the future, then she is most definitely related to Amy.

\--/•-/--••/•

We climbed down the rope ladder into the very large open cavern. "Do we have a gravity globe?" The Doctor asked.

"Grav globe," Father Octavian ordered, and someone pulled out a large orb, and hands it to the Doctor.

"Where are we? What is this?" Amy asked. I frowned, there's something very off about this place. Like its on the tip of my tongue, but I can't seem to place it.

"It's an Aplan Mortarium," River explained. "Sometimes called a Maze of the Dead."

"Well, if you happen to be a creature of living stone," he kicked the orb and it goes in the air, illuminating the entire cavern revealing hundreds, maybe thousands, of stone statues. "... The perfect hiding place."

"I guess this makes it a bit trickier," Father Octavian frowned, assessing the situation.

"A bit, yeah," he rolled his eyes.

"A stone Angel on the loose amongst stone statues," the man grimaces. "A lot harder than I'd prayed for."

"A needle in a haystack," River says.

"A needle that looks like hay," the Doctor frowned. "A hay-like needle of death. A hay-alike needle of death in a haystack of, er, statues. No, yours was fine."

"Right. Check every single statue in this chamber. You know what you're looking for," Father Octavian orders his soldiers.

"I don't think splitting up would be the best idea," I frowned, looking around the room.

"And what would you know, child?" The man scoffed at me.

"I know, that when there's a half dead, desperate monster that's apparently capable of killing us all, it would be a bad idea to split up. It'll give the Angel the opportunity to kill us each off one by one."

The man glared at me, "Complete visual inspection," he ignored my warning, and continued to order his soldiers. "One question. How do we fight it?"

"We find it, and hope," the Doctor said, and him, Amy and I begin walk away.

"Doctor," I said, pulling on his sleeve lightly. He turns to me. "Watch out for the statues... There's something really off about them..."

-••/•/•-/-••

We were walking through the maze, when I stopped, my eyes irritating again. I rubbed my eyes, and oddly felt something grainy fall in-between my fingers. When I looked up, nothing was there.

"You alright?" River asked, coming over to me.

"Fine," I dismissed, walking ahead. "Who are you, River?"

"I'm a friend of the Doctor's," she answered.

"You've said that many times," I noted. "I can hear it in your voice. Which brings me to the question: What kind of friend? I'm also wondering how a relative of Amy's could know the Doctor so well."

She looked at me, "You always were the clever one," she laughed. "Give me your arm."

"Viro-stabilizer?" I asked, pulling up my sleeve, and giving her my arm. "So I don't grow a third eye or something." She gave me a odd look, "I overheard you with Amy."

She nodded, and stabbed me with the circular thing. "I'm giving you two because of your... Situation."

I looked at her, warily, "How did you know about those?"

She smirked, and stabbed me again, "Spoilers."

-•••/---/•---

We were walking around again, and I was on edge. At the slightest touch, I would jump. I knew there was something wrong, but every-time I thought about it, it... Slipped my mind.

Suddenly, I heard a gunshot, and I jumped. The four of us ran into the main room where one of the soldiers and Father Octavian was. The Doctor went to go talk to the two of them. A few minutes later, we were scouting once again.

We were walking through the maze once again. I had my hands crossed over my chest and watching every corner of the room

"Isn't there a chance this lot's just going to collapse?" Amy asked, "There's a whole ship up there."

"Incredible builders, the Aplans," River awes.

"Had dinner with their Chief Architect once," the Doctor said. "Two heads are better than one."

"You mean, you helped him?" I asked.

"No, I mean he had two heads," he explained. "That book, the very end, what did it say?"

"Hang on," River says, going through her bag.

"Read it to me," the Doctor says once she had pulled it out and opened it.

"What if we had ideas that could think for themselves?" River read, "What if one day our dreams no longer needed us? When these things occur and are held to be true, the time will be upon us. The time of Angels."

•-/•--•/•-••/•-/-•

We were walking around the mazes again. This time, Father Octavian and a few others were with us. I didn't feel very well, my breathing was heavy, and I kept touching my temples. I had a very bad headache, but that wasn't the worst of it.

I could hear beating, heartbeats. In the thousands. They were coming from the statutes, but whenever I turn around to look at them, they stopped. I don't know what's going on. Every-time I tried to talk about it, I just... Forgot what I was going to say. Like I couldn't find my voice.

"Hazel, are you alright?" Amy asked, I looked at her, my eyes devoid of any emotion, and nodded. "A-are you sure? You don't look fine..."

"I'm okay," I muttered, continuing. What's going on? Usually, I can block out the heart beats, especially when I'm in a crowd, but for some reason, something's stopping me.

Amy frowned, but said nothing else. "Are we there yet? It's a hell of a climb."

"The Maze is on six levels," River explained. "Representing the ascent of the soul. Only two levels to go."

"Lovely species, the Aplans," the Doctor commented. "We should visit them some time."

"I thought they were all dead?" Amy said.

"So is Virginia Woolf. I'm on her bowling team," he shrugged. "Very relaxed, sort of cheerful. Well, that's having two heads, of course. You're never short of a snog with an extra head."

My eyes widened, and I looked at the statues. "Doctor, there's something. I don't know what it is," River frowned.

"Yeah, there's something wrong. Don't know what it is yet, either," he rambled. "Working on it. Of course, then they started having laws against self-marrying. I mean, what was that about? But that's the Church for you. Er, no offense, Bishop."

"Quite a lot taken, if that's all right, Doctor," Father Octavian said. "Lowest point in the wreckage is only about fifty feet up from here. That way."

"The Church had a point, if you think about it," Amy said. "The divorces must have been messy."

"... Doctor..." I called, my head was pounding, my eye was irritating, but I didn't want to rub at it anymore.

"Yes, Hazel, what is it?" He turned to me.

"The statues..." I muttered. Suddenly, the heartbeats got louder, and I held my head in pain. "Aah!"

"Hazel!" Amy cried, going to my side.

"The statues! Stay away from the statues," I warned.

"Why what's wrong with the..." A flash of realization goes across his face. "Oh."

"What's wrong?" Amy asked.

"Oh," River says, looking around too.

"Exactly," the Doctor says.

"How could we not have noticed that?"

"Low level perception filter, or maybe we're thick," the Doctor admitted.

"What's wrong, sir?" Father Octavian asked, stepping forward.

"Nobody move. Nobody move. Everyone stay exactly where they are," he warned. "Bishop, I am truly sorry. I've made a mistake and we are all in terrible danger."

"What danger?" He questioned.

"The Aplans," River says.

"The Aplans?"

"They've got two heads," she explained slowly.

"Yeah I get that. So?"

"So why don't the statues?" The Doctor asked. "Everyone, over there. Just move. Don't ask questions, don't speak." Amy helped me move to where there was some kind alcove, away from the statues.

"Okay, I want you all to switch off your torches," the Doctor instructed.

"Sir?" The soldiers questioned.

"Just do it. Okay. I'm going to turn off this one too, just for a moment," the Doctor holds his flashlight ready.

"Are you sure about this?" River asked.

"No." The lights go out, then back on in an instant. All the statu-- no, Angels have moved.

"Oh, my God. They've moved," Amy whispered in a hushed tone.

The Doctor runs to the entrance that we came, which is full of Angels. "They're Angels. All of them," he confirmed.

"But they can't be " River states.

"Clerics, keep watching them," he instructed the soldiers and runs to one of the cliffs to the side. "Every statue in this Maze, every single one, is a Weeping Angel. They're coming after us."

-/•-•/•-/•--•/•--•/•/-••

We were cornered in the cave, Angels surrounding us. "But there was only one Angel on the ship. Just the one, I swear," River gasped.

"Could they have been here already?" Amy asked.

"The Aplans. What happened?" The Doctor asked. "How did they die out?"

"Nobody knows," River said.

"We know," the Doctor corrected.

"They don't look like Angels," Father Octavian said.

"And they're not fast," Amy pointed out. "You said they were fast. They should have had us by now."

"Look at them. They're dying, losing their form," the Doctor explained. "They must have been down here for centuries, starving."

"Losing their image?" Amy repeated.

"And their image is their power. Power," his eyes widened and he slapped his forehead. "Power!"

"Doctor?" Amy asked, and he turned to her.

"Don't you see? All that radiation spilling out the drive burn," the Doctor explained. "The crash of the Byzantium wasn't an accident, it was a rescue mission for the Angels. We're in the middle of an army, and it's waking up."

River's eyes go wide, "We need to get out of here. Fast."

Father Octavian pulled out his communicator, "Bob, Angelo, Christian, come in, please. Any of you, come in," he said.

"It's Bob, sir. Sorry, sir," a male's voice says through the communicator.

"Bob, are Angelo and Christian with you?" He asked. "All the statues are active. I repeat, all the statues are active."

"I know, sir. Angelo and Christian are dead, sir," his said. "The statues killed them, sir."

The Doctor snatches the communicator, "Bob, Sacred Bob, it's me, the Doctor."

"I'm talking to--" Father Octavian tried to say, but the Doctor cut him off.

"Where are you now?"

"I'm talking to my--"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up," the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"I'm on my way up to you, sir. I'm homing in on your signal," he said, I frowned.

"Ah, well done, Bob. Scared keeps you fast. Told you, didn't-- Hey!" The Doctor shouted as I snatched the communicator from him, and putting my ear to it. I heard the sound of running, but it was too fast. Too rapid. Too inhuman.

"Hazel, what are you--"

"Bob, Scared Bob, whatever the hell your name is, where's the real Bob?" I demanded, "Because you sure don't sound like him."

There's a short silence, "The human Bob was killed, miss," he said. "Snapped my neck, miss. Wasn't as painless as I expected, but it was pretty quick, so that was something."

The Doctor took the communicator, "Where are the others? How are we still talking to you?"

"Snapped their necks too, sir," he said. "And you're not talking to me, sir. The Angel has no voice. It stripped my cerebral cortex from my body and re-animated a version of my consciousness to communicate with you. Sorry about the confusion."

I scowled, and turned away, my hand gripping the wall tightly. I saw it crack under my pressure. "So when you say you're on your way up to us..." The Doctor trailed off.

"It's the Angel that's coming, sir, yes. No way out," he snickered, as if something was funny.

"Then we get out through the wreckage. Go! Go, go, go. All of you run," Father Octavian says, as they run out. I turn to go too, but I can't move. I look at my hand, my eyes widening.

"Doctor," I called, but he ignored me.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm coming," he says. "Just go. Go, go, go. Yeah. Called you an idiot. Sorry, but there's no way we could have rescued your men."

"I know that, sir," Father Octavian says, his eyes set into a heavy glare. "And when you've flown away in your little blue box, I'll explain that to their families."

"Angel Bob. Which Angel am I talking to?" He asked. "The one from the ship?"

"Yes, sir," he confirms. "The others are still restoring."

"Ah, so the Angel is not in the wreckage. Thank you," he grins, and pocketed the communicator. "What are you waiting for? Go run."

"I can't," I muttered, pulling on my hand as much as I could.

"Why not?"

"It's stone!" I hissed, pulling harder. My hand wasn't skin anymore, it was a grainy stone. "Can't you see it?!"

He looked at me, and takes out his sonic, pointing it at my eyes. "You looked into the eyes of an Angel, didn't you?" He asked.

"Yeah, sorry, it was in the general direction," I said, pulling as hard as I could.

"Listen to me. It's messing with your head," he says. "Your hand is not made of stone."

I gave him a weird look, "Yeah it is. See!"

"It's in your mind, I promise you," he said, glancing at the door and at me. "You can move that hand. You can let go."

"The Angel is going to come and it's going to turn this light off, and then there's nothing I can do to stop it, so do it. Concentrate. Move your hand."

I looked at him, and back at my hand. I took a deep breath, and pulled my arm, using my feet to walk up the wall, and support myself. I forcibly pry my fingers off the wall. My fingers begin to turn a dark brown, back to its original color. I pull harder, the Doctor helping me, and finally, my hand fall off, and I fly back, hitting the wall.

Just as I did that, I heard footsteps by the door. The Doctor stares at the Angel that appeared in the door way. I jump up, kicking it in the head. The stone head goes flying, and hits the wall behind it, and shattered.

Before he could say anything, I yanked the Doctor's hand, and race as fast as I could out of the door.

Once we've caught up the the group, who are all outside in the main area, where the gravity globe is. Finally, the Doctor says, "You-You lobbed its head off!"

"We're alive," I gasped, flexing my throbbing fingers. My foots sore as well, since I kinda kicked stone, but other than that, I'm pretty fine.

"You completely just-- did you kill it?" The Doctor is flabbergasted.

"Yeah, probably," I shrugged.

"Angels can't--"

"Doctor," I interrupted him. "It was only stone at the time, which gave me the chance to kill it. Sorry, but it was the only thing I could do. Either way, we're alive. and that's what matters."

He gives me a look, about to say something, when someone called him. "The statues are advancing along all corridors," he explained. "And, sir, my torch keeps flickering."

"They all do," Father Octavian says.

"So does the gravity globe," River pointed to the globe that had dimmed significantly.

"Clerics, we're down to four men," he says to his soldiers. "Expect incoming."

"Yeah, it's the Angels. They're coming," he said. "And they're draining the power for themselves."

"Which means we won't be able to see them," Father Octavian says.

"Which means we can't stay here," the Doctor says. I scanned the room, fortunately, the heart beating had been a bit quieter so I could think clearly. All escape routes are blocked, just as they said. My eyes trail to the ceiling, there's what seemed to be a hatch up there, but its way too high. Even if I flew up there, I wouldn't be able to carry all ten of us.

"Two more incoming," Octavian announced.

"Any suggestions?" River asked.

"The statues are advancing on all sides," Octavian says. "We don't have the climbing equipment to reach the Byzantium."

"There's no way up, no way back, no way out," River says, a bit of a panic to her voice. "No pressure, but this is usually when you have a really good idea."

"There's always a way out," the Doctor says, looking around. His words seem to echo around the nearly empty cavern. "There's always a way out."

"Doctor? Can I speak to the Doctor, please?" Bob's voice says through the communicator. The Doctor pulled it out.

"Hello, Angels. What's your problem?" The Doctor asked causally.

"Your power will not last much longer, and the Angels will be with you shortly. Sorry, sir," he said.

The Doctor glared at nothing, "Why are you telling me this?"

"There's something the Angels are very keen you should know before the end," he said.

"Which is?"

"I died in fear."

The Doctor paused. "... Sorry?"

"You told me my fear would keep me alive, but I died afraid, in pain and alone," the Angel says. "You made me trust you, and when it mattered, you let me down."

I glared at the communicator. "What are they doing?" Amy asked.

"They're trying to make him angry," she answered.

"I'm sorry, sir," he continued. "The Angels were very keen for you to know that."

"Well then, the Angels have made their second mistake because I'm not going to let that pass," the Doctor growled. "I'm sorry you're dead, Bob, but I swear to whatever is left of you, they will be sorrier."

"But you're trapped, sir," The Angel said. "And about to die."

"Yeah. I'm trapped," he agreed. "And you know what? Speaking of traps, this trap has got a great big mistake in it. A great big, whopping mistake."

"What mistake, sir?" He asked.

He turned to Amy, "Trust me?"

"Yeah," she answered.

He turned to River, "Trust me?"

"Always."

He turned to me, "Trust me?"

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

He turned to Father Octavian and his soldiers, "Oi! You lot trust me?"

"We have faith, sir," he answered.

"Then give me your gun," he replied. "I'm about to do something incredibly stupid and dangerous. When I do, jump!"

"Jump where?" He questioned.

"Just jump," he said. "High as you can. Come on, leap of faith, Bishop. On my signal."

"What signal?"

"You won't miss it."

"Sorry, can I ask again?" The Angel said. "You mentioned a mistake we made...?"

"Oh, big mistake. Huge," he said into the communicator and pointed his gun at the hull of the Byzantium. "Didn't anyone every tell you there's one thing you never put in a trap? If you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap."

"And what would that be sir?"

"Me," he shoots at the Byzantium.

Well, he wasn't wrong about not missing it...


	5. chapter five:

Chapter Five:

Hazel's POV

I heard a gunshot, and I jumped, just as everyone else did. I felt my stomach twist, and I fall through the air. A few seconds later, I'm on the ground, face first. "Up. Look up," the Doctor ordered and we looked up, staring at the Angels.

"Are you okay?" River asked, as we stood up shakily.

"What happened?" Amy asked, very confused.

"We jumped," River said.

"Up, up, look up," the Doctor said.

"Where are we?" Amy asked.

"Exactly where we were," I tried to explain, as the Doctor goes to my feet, and moves me over.

He sonics the circular hatch at my feet, and it turned open. "Doctor, what am I looking at?" Amy demanded. "Explain."

"Oh, come on, Amy, think," the Doctor grinned. "The ship crashed with the power still on, yeah? So what else is still on?" Amy blinked when she realized that we were on the roof of the Byzantium. "The artificial gravity. One good jump, and up we fell. Shot out the grav globe to give us an updraft, and here we are."

I grinned, "You have vertigo, don't you?" I patted her on the back, "Welcome to my world."

"Doctor, the statues," Father Octavian said. "They look more like Angels now."

"They're feeding on the radiation from the wreckage," he explained, the hatch was almost opened. "Draining all the power from the ship, restoring themselves. Within an hour, they'll be an army."

Just as it opened, a light exploded, and I jumped. "They're taking out the lights," The Doctor said, helping everyone inside the hatch. "Look at them. Look at the Angels. Into the ship, now. Quickly, all of you."

"How?" Amy asked as I fell into the ship, my feet moving to the floor.

"This gravity manipulation thing is getting on my nerves..." I muttered, going to where everyone else is.

"Okay, men. Go, go, go!" Octavian ordered, and the men go into position. The Doctor moved to the control panel to close the door. "The Angels. Presumably they can jump up too?"

The hatch closed. "They're here, now," the Doctor said gravelly. "In the dark, we're finished."

"That's reassuring," I shot at him, turning to keep eyes on the angels. The door on the other end started to close. "Run!"

"This whole place is a death trap!" Father Octavian muttered, just as the door closed. Nobody makes it.

"No, it's a time bomb," the Doctor corrected, although it really wasn't needed. "Well, it's a death trap and a time bomb. And now it's a dead end. Nobody panic. Oh, just me then. What's through here?"

"Secondary flight deck," River answered.

"Okay. so we've basically run up the inside of a chimney, yeah? So what if the gravity fails?" Amy asked.

"We'd probably all plunge to our deaths," I admitted.

"The security protocols are still live," the Doctor said. "There's no way to override them. It's impossible."

"How impossible?" River asked.

"Two minutes," he answered.

"The hull is breached and the power's failing," Octavian noted. An arm shoots out in the darkness, making me jump back.

"Sir, incoming!" One of the soldiers say.

"Doctor, lights!" Amy asked, as he fiddled with the control panel. The Angels enter the room, the lights are flickering. From what I could see, there are four.

"Clerics, keep watching them," Octavian ordered.

"And don't look at their eyes," he Doctor warned. "Anywhere else. Not the eyes. I've isolated the lighting grid. They can't drain the power now."

"Good work, Doctor," Octavian prasied.

"Yes. Good, good, good," he nodded. "Good in many ways. Good you like it so far."

"So far?" Amy and I echoed, noticing the 'if' in the sentence.

"Well, there's only one way to open this door," the Doctor explained. "I guess I'll need to route all the power in this section through the door control."

"Good. Fine. Do it," Octavian nodded absentmindedly.

"No, wait," I paused. "Does this mean you need to take out the lights too?"

"Yes. Including the lights," he nodded, and I frowned. "All of them. I'll need to turn out the lights."

"How long for?"

"Fraction of a second. Maybe longer," he admitted. "Maybe quite a bit longer."

"Maybe?"

"I'm guessing. We're being attacked by statues in a crashed ship," he sighed stressfully. "There isn't a manual for this."

"Doctor, we lost the torches. We'll be in total darkness," Amy stated.

"No other way, Bishop."

"Doctor Song," River looked up. "I've lost good Clerics today. You trust this man?"

"I absolutely trust him," she says firmly.

"He's not some kind of madman, then?"

"I absolutely trust him," she said again. You didn't answer the question... I thought.

"Excuse me?" The Doctor says in a sassy tone.

"I'm taking your word," Father Octavian glared -- I realize that his eyes are usually always set into a glare, and its hard to tell when it is or isn't. "Because you're the only one who can manage this guy. But that only works so long as he doesn't know who you are. You cost me any more men, and I might just tell him. Understood?"

Tell him what? That she might be related to Amy? "Understood," River nodded.

"Okay, Doctor. We've got your back," he nodded.

"Bless you, Bishop," the Doctor said jokingly.

"Combat distance, ten feet," he commanded his soldiers. "As soon as the lights go down, continuous fire. Full spread over the hostiles. Do not stop firing while the lights are out. Shot gun protocol. We don't have bullets to waste."

"Hazel, Amy, when the lights go down, the wheel should release. Spin it clockwise four turns," the Doctor ordered.

"Ten."

"No, four. Four turns," the Doctor corrected.

"Yeah, I said four," I said, going to the wheel.

"Ready!" He plunged his sonic in the control panel, I tightened my grip on the iron wheel.

"On my count, then. God be with us all," Father Octavian said. "Three, two, one, fire!"

The lights go out and the soldiers begin to shoot at the angels. I turn the wheel as hard as I could. "Turn! Turn!" The Doctor shouted.

"I am!!" I yelled back. Soon, the door begins to open. "It's open!"

"Fall back!" The Doctor shouted, and we all run through the cracked door. I pull the Doctor in, and close the door.

The Doctor goes to the large controls, Amy and River following him."Doctor! What are you doing?" Amy asked.

I watched as Father Octavian placed a device on the door, and it stopped turning for a second. "Magnetized the door. Nothing could turn that wheel now."

"Yeah?" The Doctor asked, with a arched eyebrow.

The door begins to turn again, Father Octavian gasped, "Dear God!"

"Ah, now you're getting it," he told him. "You've bought us time though. That's good. I am good with time."

"Okay, new idea," I said, pulling up a chair. I took my hand and moved it slowly across the edge if the door, sealing the metal together. Once I get all around the door, I grin, "There. You can't open a door when there isn't one."

"You think?" He said, and the door cracks.

"Shit!" I cursed, mending it back, only to have the same result. "Okay. New plan," I said, jumping off the chair. "Octavian's soldiers, magnetize all the door, and I'll seal them once you're done." I pointed to one of the dark-skinned soldiers, "How many doors are there?"

"Three, miss."

I shook my head, "Nine."

The soldier gave me a weird look, "No, there's three."

"That's what I said," I nodded, and going to the door that was turning. "The most we can do right now is make sure these doors don't open. We're buying the Doctor as much time as we possibly can."

"Listen girl--" Father Octavian growled, taking me by the shoulder.

"No, you listen," I glared heavily, slapping his hand away. "I told you not to split everyone up, and you didn't listen, so now there's three people dead. I'm not going to let anyone else die. So it's either you follow my orders and help get this doors sealed, or you sit on your ass waiting for someone else to do it!"

Everyone stared at me, while I glared at the bishop, who was glaring as heavily back at me. "Seal the doors," he growled.

I smirked, "Good boy." I turned on heel, and walked towards the door, dragging the chair with me. I stood on the chair, sealing the ends, while the soldier magnetized it.

Once we finished, I went to the Doctor, who was staring at a immense forest with Amy and River, "Eight."

"What?" He asked, turning to me.

"I said the doors are sealed."

He nodded, "Is there another exit?" He asked River, "Scan the architecture, we don't have time to get lost in there."

"I can scout ahead, if you want," I suggested.

"No, don't need you getting lost."

"Giant bird kid in the sky? Hard to miss."

"But trees, on a space ship?" Amy asked.

"Oh, more than trees," he grinned cheerfully. "Way better than trees. You're going to love this. Treeborgs," he went to one of the trees, and pulled on the bark, revealing the wired interior.

"Trees plus technology," he continued, fascinatedly. "Branches become cables become sensors on the hull. A forest sucking in starlight, breathing out air. It even rains. There's a whole mini-climate. This vault is an ecopod running right through the heart of the ship. A forest in a bottle on a space ship in a maze. Have I impressed you yet, Amy Pond? Hazel?"

"Seven," I piped up.

"Seven?" He frowned.

"What? What's seven?" Amy asked.

"I don't know, what's seven?" I frowned.

"You. You said seven," the Doctor said.

"No, I didn't. I said 'interesting'."

"Yes, you did," River said.

"Doctor, there's an exit," Father Octavian informed. "Far end of the ship, into the Primary Flight Deck."

"Oh, good," he nodded. "That's where we need to go."

"Plotting a safe path now."

"Quick as you like," the Doctor commented.

"Doctor? Excuse me?" The Angel's voice said through the communicator. "Hello, Doctor? Angel Bob here, sir."

"Ah. There you are, Angel Bob," the Doctor grinned, taking the communicator. "How's life?" I snorted. "Sorry, bad subject."

"You've killed one of us," his voice said darkly through the communicator.

"Sorry about that," I said, then frowned. "Well, not really. Wasn't that hard either, but my foot hella sore right now, so..."

There was some kind of inhuman growl from the other end. "The Angels are wondering what you hope to achieve," he said.

"Achieve? We're not achieving anything," the Doctor admitted. "We're just hanging. It's nice in here. Consoles, comfy chairs, a forest. How's things with you?"

"The Angels are feasting, sir," he bragged. "Soon we will be able to absorb enough power to consume this vessel, this world. and all the stars and worlds beyond."

"Well, we've got comfy chairs. Did I mention?"

"We have no need of comfy chairs," Angel Bob -- since that name seemed to fit him in his... Situation.

"I made him say comfy chairs," the Doctor grinned childishly.

I chuckled, "Six." His smile melted.

"Okay, Bob, enough chat," he said. Here's what I want to know. What have you done to Hazel?"

"There is something in her eye."

"What's in her eye?"

"We are."

The Doctor looked at me. "What-- Doctor, I'm five," my eyes widened. "I'm five-- fine! I'm fine!"

"You're counting," River said.

"I'm not counting," I denied.

"You're counting down from ten," the Doctor said. "You have been for a couple of minutes."

"No I haven't," I frowned.

"Yeah, you have," Amy said.

I looked away, "Okay, if I was counting, then to what?"

"We shall take her," Angel Bob warned. "We shall take all of you. We shall have dominion over all time and space."

"Get a life, Bob," the Doctor laughed. "Oops, sorry again. There's power on this ship, but nowhere near that much."

"With respect, sir, there's more power on this ship than you yet understand," he said.

Suddenly, a loud screeching noise filled the air. I cried out in pain, and held my ears tightly, my face contorted in pain. I saw the Doctor say something in his communicator, and River when to my side. After the screeching stopped, my ears were ringing, and lightly dripping with blood.

"... The crack from my bedroom wall..." I heard Amy say as she pointed to the ceiling. My eyes slowly widened. It's-it's the crack!

-•/---

I shivered in my dog crate, my arms around my knees, and my head resting on my knees. My wings were clamped together tightly, since the Whitecoats wanted to make sure I didn't have the chance of escaping. At all.

Then, I heard screaming. Of, course, living in at the School and being ruthlessly experimented on, on a daily basis, I'd obviously be used to someone screaming.

But this was different.

This sounded like a desperate, heart-clenching screams. It didn't sound like a woman's, man's, girl's, nor boy's. It was like it was all... Combined together. And they all sounded like a desperate scream in terror.

I hated it.

It made my hair stand on ends, it made my back go rigid, it made me squeeze my knees tighter.

And it didn't stop.

At first, for a few minutes, I just endured the screaming. Just sitting there, in silence, biting my lip till it bled, and clenching my small hands into fist.

Then, it did something else, "No more," It said. It's tone was hushed, almost in a whisper, and sounded like a weary old man.

I would always wonder, no more of what? And who was this person screaming?

I wasn't able to identify who, or what it was, and apparently, I was also the only one who would hear it, as well. None of the Whitecoats came to check it out and all of the other experiments thought I was insane than I already was.

Until, one day, the day I escaped, I found it.

At first, I was mad at myself for being such an idiot, and so, so oblivious to something that was staring me in the face. Was it because of the drugs they shot into my system that made me unable to understand? Was it because I just didn't care enough to find out who, or what, was screaming so horrifically? I don't know.

When I had finally escape the hellhole, aka the School, I looked at the cages and noticed that they weren't in a straight line, no, they were shaped in a irregular shape. Almost like a crack. And on top if the cages was a piercing white light, that seemed to show the inside to another world.

And that world was burning.

I didn't know what to do, I just stared at the scene. It was a complete slaughter, there were men, woman, children dying left and right. Robots shot at them, killing them instantly. Children were crying, the bloodshed was unspeakable.

I urged myself to leave, seeing that the Erasers who were coming were right behind me, but I couldn't move. I couldn't talk. I just flew in place, staring.

I saw two words engraved on a stone wall.

"No more."

\--/---/•-•/•

"Hazel! Hazel come on, we're leaving," River said, grabbing my hand tightly. Before I knew it, I was being dragged out of the room, into the forest, leaving the Doctor behind.

After a few minutes of constant running, I slowed down, leaning against a tree, my ears had, luckily, stopped ringing. What was wrong with me? I've had to run miles in end and felt perfectly fine, so what's so different now?

"Hazel, are you okay?" Amy asked, approaching me.

I coughed, "Four," I muttered. My knees suddenly felt very weak, and I fell forward. Luckily, River caught my shoulders and directed me to a tree stump.

"Med scanner, now," she commanded.

"Doctor Song, we can't stay here," Father Octavian objected. "We've got to keep moving."

"We wait for the Doctor," River said firmly.

"Our mission is to make this wreckage safe and neutralize the Angels," Father Octavian argued. "Until that is achieved--"

"Father Octavian, when the Doctor's in the room, your one and only mission is to keep him alive long enough to get everyone else home," River growled at the man, her face red with anger. "And trust me, it's not easy. Now, if he's dead back there, I'll never forgive myself. And if he's alive, I'll never forgive him. And, Doctor, you're standing right behind me, aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah," he grinned leaning against the tree.

"I hate you," she muttered, as the Doctor moved forward.

"You don't," he grinned. "Bishop, the Angels are in the forest."

"We need visual contact on every line of approach," Father Octavian informed.

"How did you get past them?" River asked.

"I found a crack in the wall and told them it was the end of the universe," he explained.

"What was it?" Amy asked.

"The end of the universe," he admitted, and turned to me. "Let's have a look, then."

"What's wrong with me?" I asked, my face as hard as stone.

"Nothing, you're fine," River said.

I glared at her, "You're lying. Give me a straight answer."

"Everything's wrong," he said. "You're dying."

"Good," I nodded. I quickly checked my wrist.

"What are you looking for?" Amy asked.

"Expiration date," I explained. "Shows up when I'm supposed to die. River, check my neck." River stepped over, and checked the nape and base of my neck.

"Oh my..." She gasped. "I heard that you had a expiration date, but I never believed..."

"Yeah, I know, fantastic," I said. "Date. What's the date?"

She took a deep breath, "March 23, 10394."

"What's today?"

"March 23."

I cursed. "Something's in her eye," the Doctor said. "What does that mean? Does it mean anything?"

"Doctor," Amy spoke up.

"Busy," he replied.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Don't know yet. I need to think. Shut up."

Amy frowned, "It's okay, let him think," River soothed her.

"What happened? She stared at the Angel," he thought out loud. "She looked into the eyes of an Angel for too long--"

"Sir! Angel incoming!" One of the soldiers cried.

"And here!" Another said.

"Keep visual contact. Do not let it move," Father Octavian ordered.

"Come on, come on, come on," he rambled. "Wakey, wakey. She watched an Angel climb out of the screen. She stared at the Angel and, and--"

"The image of an angel, is an angel," I murmured.

He shot up and stared at me, "A living mental image in a living human mind. But we stare at them to stop them getting closer. We don't even blink, and that is exactly what they want. Because as long as our eyes are open, they can climb inside. There's an Angel in her mind!" He pointed his sonic in my eyes and I winced.

"Three. Doctor, it's coming," I said in a steady voice. "I'm going to die." The headache from earlier is intensified. I can hear their heartbeats again and its pounding in my mind. I groan in pain and hold my head.

"Please just shut up. I'm thinking," he rambled, and begins to pace. "Now, counting. What's that about?" He went to the communicator, "Bob, why are they making her count?"

"To make her afraid, sir," he answered.

"Okay, but why? What for?!"

"For fun, sir," the Doctor threw the communicator away in annoyance.

"What's going to happen to me?" I asked, firmly.

"Inside your head, in the vision centers of your brain, there's an Angel," he explained stress-fully. "It's like there's a screen, a virtual screen inside your mind and the Angel is climbing out of it, and it's coming to shut you off."

"Two. Okay, then we need to stop it first, right?"

"Yes, but my brain hasn't quite gotten there yet."

"Doctor, she's got seconds," River said, and I gritted my teeth.

"The angel uses vision to see, so all we need to do is stop it," I said, the wheels in my brain churning. "With the screen, I threw the knife at it on the blip. All I need to do is starve it. Cut off the vision centers. Close my eyes." I take a deep breath, and close my eyes.

"You're normalizing! You did it. You did it!" River said with a breath of relief.

"How'd you figure that one out?" The Doctor asked.

"River, check my neck. Is it still there?" I asked.

River goes over, and pulled on the back of my shirt. "It's fading."

"Great," I exhale. "Fantastic."

"Sir? Two more incoming," a soldier says from the trees.

"Three more over here," Someone else says.

"She's still weak," River said. "It's too dangerous to move her."

"So... Can she open her eyes now?" Amy asked.

"No," the Doctor answered. "Hazel, if you open up your eyes for more than a second, you'll die. The Angel is still inside you. We haven't stopped it, we've just sort of paused it. You've used up your countdown. You cannot open your eyes."

"Got it," I nodded. "No moving and no seeing."

"Doctor, we're too exposed here," Octavian announced. "We have to move on."

"We're in a forest, anywhere would be too exposed," I scoffed.

"She's right. Plus, Hazel can't move " The Doctor said, getting up. "And anyway, that's not the plan."

"There's a plan?" River asked disbelievingly.

"I don't know yet. I haven't finished talking. Right! Father, you and your Clerics, you're going to stay here, look after Hazel. If anything happens to her, I'll hold every single one of you personally responsible, twice. River, you, me, and Amy, we're going to find the Primary Flight Deck which is," he paused. "A quarter of a mile straight ahead, and from there we're going to stabilize the wreckage, stop the Angels, and cure Hazel."

"How?"

"I'll do a thing."

"What thing?"

"I don't know. It's a thing in progress. Respect the thing. Moving out!"

"Doctor, I'm coming with you," Octavian said. "My Clerics'll look after the girl. These are my best men. They'd lay down their lives in her protection."

"I don't need you," he said.

"I don't care. Where Doctor Song goes, I go."

"What? You two engaged or something?"

"Yes, in a manner of speaking," he scoffed. "Marco, you're in charge till I get back."

"Sir?" A soldier called.

"Doctor, can I come with you?" I asked him.

"You'd slow us down, Miss Hazel," Octavian said.

I rolled my eyes, "No. Not really. I could stay overhead and look out," I suggested.

"And just how are you going to do that?" He scoffed. "What, are you going to spout wings and fly?"

I laughed, "I love it when people say that."

"Either way," River cut in. "Although the Angel has been stopped, it's still in your mind. It's still too dangerous for you to move."

"Besides, you'll be safer here," the Doctor added. "We can't protect you on the move. I'll be back for you soon as I can, I promise."

"If I had a nickel for everytime someone said that..." I muttered.

"I always come back," he assured. "Good luck, everyone. Behave. Do not let that girl open her eyes. And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing. Hazel, later. River, going to need your computer!" I heard him run off, and I sighed, sitting quietly on the tree stump.

•--/•-/•-••/•-••

Amy's POV

She was standing along the side, watching out for the Angels when she felt someone touch her shoulder. "Amy, you need to start trusting me. It's never been more important," it was he Doctor.

"But you don't always tell me the truth," she frowned, not even bothering to look at him.

"If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me."

"Doctor, the crack in my wall. How can it be here?"

"I don't know yet," he admitted. "But I'm working it out. Now, listen. Remember what I told you when you were seven?"

"What did you tell me?"

"No. No, that's not the point. You have to remember." He paused, "And please, remind me to remember Hazel."

"Remember what?" She asked turning around to look at him. "What's happened with Hazel? Doctor? Doctor?" He was gone.

•••/-/---/-•/•

Hazel's POV

I sat numbly on the stool, hearing the Doctor, Amy, River, and Octavian announce their leave. After they were out of hearing range, which was several meters, the forest was left somewhat silent. I could still hear the heartbeats, but it had been dulled ever since we stopped the Angel. I sighed, if I was going to sit on this stump and do nothing, I might as well make myself useful.

I moved to pull off my shoes, "Miss Hazel, what are you doing?" One of the soldiers asked, who was positioned beside me.

"Oh, nothing really," I shrugged as I slipped off my sock and threw my shoe ahead of me.

"... Why are you taking off your shoes, Miss?"

"I'm bored," I shrugged, going to the other one.

I could feel the weird look he game me and then he sighed, "Okay...?"

I chuckled and placed my feet on the bare floor, moving past all the fake dirt and leaves until I got down the the real metal flooring. "There's an Angel. Twenty feet. Ten o' clock," I told the soldier, who gave me an odd look.

"With all due respect, how do you know? You can't--"

"Another Angel spotted!" A soldier shouted, making the man raise an eyebrow as a soldier went over there.

"Vibrations in the metal," I explained to the confused male. "Life-sized creepy stone Angels don't exactly tip-toe."

"It's twenty feet away," he scoffed. "Vibrations don't travel that far. Nobody could sense that."

"You don't exactly know me, do you?" I grinned to myself. "Just, forget abou-- AH!" I cried in pain, jumping a little. "Stupid Angels! Stupid electricity!" I grumbled, rubbing my feet.

"What happened?" Hw asked concernedly.

"Angels rerouted the power through the metal shock my feet, make my senses go haywire for a while, dammit," I mumbled, feeling my scorned feet.

"That explains why the trees are going out..." He murmured.

"Sorry, they're what?!"

"They're taking out the lights. They're ripping apart the Treeborgs, Miss," he explained in a clam voice but I could sense his anxiety.

"Okay, so that means no light?" I said, the bride of my nose.

Before he could answer, someone shouted, "Angels advancing, sir."

"Over here again."

"Weapons primed," he ordered the soldiers. "Combat distance five feet. Wait for it."

"Angels are coming," I murmured, and the heartbeats gradually increasing. "Remember, don't look them in the eyes!"

"Keep position," he ordered. "And keep your eyes closed, Miss!" He paused, "Wait."

Then, the heartbeats stopped. Not just the angels, but everything in this area, except for the soldiers, of course. It just... Stopped. "The ship's not on fire, is it?" Someone asked, (I've really gotta learn their names).

"No," I frowned. "Couldn't be. I'd smell it."

"And, the compressors would have taken care of it," he added. "Marco, the Angels have gone. Where'd they go?"

"The Angel's?" I frowned, the heartbeats did... Stop. Where did they disappear to...?

"This side's clear too, sir," Someone else said.

"Where did they go off to?" I asked, slightly panicking now. "They couldn't have just disappeared in thin air...?"

"There's still movement out there," The soldier beside me said. "But away from us now. It's like they're running."

This interested me, "Running from what?"

"Phillip, Crispin, need to get a closer look at that," he said to the soldiers. Immediately, I heard their footsteps crunch in the fake grass as they left.

"What are you guys looking at? Where'd the Angels go?"

"It's like... I don't know," he admitted. "A curtain of energy, sort of shifting. Makes you feel weird. Sick."

"And you think it scared the Angels?" I asked.

He scoffed lightly, "What could scare those things?"

"Let me see it," I ordered.

"What? No, you're not to open up your eyes."

"The Doctor said that I can't open them for more than a second. It'll be quick, I promise."

"Miss, you can't," he pleaded.

"I don't got time for this," I groaned. "I'll just look for a second. Now, please, point me to it."

He paused, "Fine." He took my shoulders and pointed me to the direction of the supposed light.

I snapped my eyes open to see the brightly burning crack on the forest wall, the same exact crack that was shaped as the cages at the school. "What... The hell? How is that here?!"

"Miss, close your eyes!"

"It-it can't be here!" I exclaimed, feeling lightheaded, but shoved it away. Did the School do this?! How--

My thoughts were cut off by my body swaying dangerously and I closed my eyes again, panting heavily. "Are you okay?" The soldier asked.

"Yeah..." I breathed, "Yeah... I'm okay now... But, how is it here...?"

"Marco, you want me to get a closer look at that?" A soldier asked. Oh, so his name was Marco...

"Go for it, but don't get too close," he warned.

"Wait," I called. "What about the other two?"

"What other two?" He-- Marco frowned.

"You know, the other two. What were their names... Philip and Crispy? No... Crispin. What about them?"

"Who?"

I frowned, "You know, those two. You just sent them there just a minute ago."

"Hazel, there never was a Crispin or a Phillip on this mission," he assured. "I promise you."

"You have got to be kidding me," I muttered. "I know that there was a Philip and a Crispin! You sent them just before you sent the one you just sent now!"

"Miss, what are you talking about, I haven't sent anyone. It was just us."

Now, I was gaping. "Wha-what are you talking about?! You just sent him, I heard you!" I was so frustrated, what was going on?!

"It's only been the two of us," he tried to explain, but I wasn't buying it.

"No, there were five of us! Then, you kept sending them off and forgetting about them!"

"Listen. Listen," he tried to calm me down. "I need to get a closer look at that light, whatever it is. Don't worry, I won't get too close."

"No! Don't go!!" I cried, now knowing that he would disappear too. "Stay here, the Doctor said that you were supposed to stay here!"

"Here," he placed something in my hands. It was a rectangle and blocky. "Spare communicator. I'll stay in touch the whole time."

"Don't you dare leave!" I growled angrily. "You need to--"

"I promise I'll keep in touch," he assured and let go of my hand. "I'll only be two minutes." He let go, and I heard his footsteps crunch into the leaves.

"No!" I shouted, "Please, just listen to me! Stop!" He leaves me breathing heavily. I fumbled with the communicator, somehow managing to turn it on. "Hello? Marco?! Hello?"

"I'm here," he called back. I sigh in relief when I hear his heartbeat beating through the communicator. "I'm fine. Quite close to it now."

"That's great, now come back," I told him. "Now."

"It's weird looking at it," he said. "It feels really--" he never finished that sentence. His heartbeat on the communicator went silent.

"Marco?! Marco, what happened? Marco where are you?!" I asked frantically, my panic increasing gradually.

"Hazel? Hazel is that you?" The Doctor called from the end.

"Doctor?" I answered, relieved to hear the sound of his voice. "Doctor! Please tell me you're coming back."

"Hazel, are the Clerics with you?" His voice answered.

"No. Not anymore," I frowned. "They've left. They went towards the crack. When one left, they didn't even remember him."

"No they wouldn't..." He trailed off. I heard River's voice on the other end. "Hazel, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you, I've made a mistake."

"It's okay," I said. "Tell me what to do?"

"You come to us," he said. "The Primary Flight Deck, the other end of the forest."

"I can't see," I mentioned. "And the Angels messed up my feet earlier, so I can't feel through the metal."

"Turn on the spot," he commanded, and I did so. I heard a familiar whirring sound. "When the communicator sounds like my screwdriver, that means you're facing the right way. Follow the sound. You have to start moving now. There's Time Energy spilling out of that crack, and you have to stay ahead of it."

"Okay, what about the angels?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but the Angels can only kill you."

"And, what will the Time Energy do?"

"Just keep moving!"

"Tell. Me," I growled threateningly.

There was a small pause, "If the Time Energy catches up with you, you'll never have been born. It will erase every moment of your existence. You will never have lived at all. Now, keep your eyes shut and keep moving!"

"Okay," I nodded and began walking quickly. "Just keep moving." I walked blindly through the forest, the feeling in my feet gradually returning, so I was able to maneuver past trees and such.

"Hazel, listen to me," the Doctor's voice came through the communicator. "I'm sending a bit of software to your communicator. It's a proximity detector. it'll beep if there's something in your way. You just maneuver till the beeping stops. Because, Hazel, this is important. A forest full of Angels. You're going to have to walk like you can see."

I froze for a split second, "Walk like I can see? You mean...?"

"Just-just keep moving!"

I took a deep breath, and kept walking quickly, until suddenly, the communicator beeped sharply. "Doctor, what's going on?"

"It's a warning," he informed. "There are Angels round you now." My blood ran cold, and I nearly tripped.

"What?"

"Hazel, listen to me. This is going to be hard but I know, you can do it. The Angels are scared, and running, and right now they're not that interested in you. They'll assume you can see them and their instincts will kick in. All you've got to do is walk like you can see."

"Oh, okay, that makes much more sense." I nodded and began to move slowly around the angel, completely ducking under them. I began to walk quickly when I'm sure I'm out, when I accidently bumped my toe on a uproot, and fall on my face, the communicator flying out of my hands.

"Shit!" I shouted, "Doctor, I dropped it!" I move, frantically trying to find the communicator, when it started beeping quickly, again. "Doctor," I called, with no response. "Doctor!" I could hear the heartbeat of the Angel moving towards me, it's cold fingers scratching against my skin, making me flinch.

A second later, I'm in someone's arms. I scramble away, falling on the floor, managing not to open my eyes while doing so. "Don't open your eyes," River's voice said, "You're safe now. You're on the Flight Deck. The Doctor and Amy's here. I teleported you. See? Told you I could get it working."

"River Song, I could bloody kiss you," the Doctor said breathlessly.

I didn't say anything, I just lied on the metal ground, breathing heavily. My cheek stings, and I feel blood tracing down it.

"Are you okay?" Amy asked, as she helped me up, just as an alarm starts blaring. I cover my ears, quickly, but it soon dissipates.

"What's that?" River demanded.

"The Angels are draining the last of the ship's power " the Doctor explained. "Which means the shield's going to release."

I hear a door opening and Amy pulls me back, with the Doctor and River. "Angel Bob, I presume," the Doctor said.

"The Time Field is coming," Angel Bob warned. "It will destroy our reality."

"Yeah, and look at you all, running away," he chuckled. "What can I do for you?"

"There is a rupture in time," he explained. "The Angels calculate that if you throw yourself into it, it will close, and they will be saved."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he nodded. "Could do, could do that. But why?"

"Your friends will also be saved."

"Well, there is that."

"I've travelled in time. I'm a complicated space time event too. Throw me in," River pleaded.

"Oh, be serious," he scoffed. "Compared to me, these Angels are more complicated than you, and it would take every one of them to amount to me, so get a grip."

"Doctor, I can't let you do this," she begged.

"No, seriously, get a grip," he insisted.

"You're not going to die here!" She cried.

"No, I mean it. River, Amy, Hazel, get a grip," he instructed.

River gasped. "Oh, you genius!"

"Sir, the Angels need you to sacrifice yourself now," Angel Bob said.

"Thing is, Bob, the Angels are draining all the power from this ship," the Doctor said. "Every last bit of it. And you know what? I think they've forgotten where they're standing. I think they've forgotten the gravity of the situation. Or to put it another way, Angels."

River put my hand on a metal bar. "You hold on tight and don't you let go for anything!" I nodded, gripping the metal tightly.

"Night night," the Doctor laughed and suddenly, the floor under my feet is gone, and I'm hanging limply, holding onto the bar for dear life. The sound of Angels screaming as they fell to their non-existence filled my ears.

-•••/---/-•••

I sat on a beach, a blanket around my shoulders, my knees to my chest. The Doctor and Amy were talking to River, who was being sent back to prison, apparently. I stayed where I was, not wanting to get up again.

After she left, the Doctor came to me, and Amy went to go lie down in the TARDIS. "How you feeling?" He asked, sitting beside me.

"Fine. Bit bruised, but it'll heal in a few hours," I shrugged. "My cheek may scar though."

"You were very calm when you were attacked by the Angels," he commented.

"I've been in worse situations."

"Like what?"

I frowned, "Who is River to Amy?" I asked suddenly.

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason," I shrugged, although I had many questions.

"She's never met River before today, so she probably doesn't even know her."

I nodded. "You never answered my question. What's worse than being killed by Angels?"

Having my wings clipped. Being taken by the School. Dying by the hands of a Eraser/Flyboys, I thought, but held my tongue. Not being able to meet them.

"I have my own reasons," I sighed. "Hey Doctor, can we go back to the museum? Just for a second?"

"Hm? Why? We barely got out the first time."

"I... Wanted to see something."

"See what?"

"It's probably nothing," I waved it off, but its been eating me alive. "Are we the only ones here?"

"Yeah. This areas been empty for centuries. Plus with the Weeping Angels being here, we're definitely alone. Why?"

I stood up, and went into my sweater, pulled a small knife out of my sweater and handed it to him. "Wha-- why-why are you giving me this?" He stuttered, his green eyes wide.

"I'm not asking you to kill me, if that's what you're thinking," I rolled my eyes. "I need you to cut slits in the shoulder blades of the sweater."

"Wh-- oh... Oh. You should've said that first," he said, gently taking the knife. "I don't want to accidentally cut you..."

"You'll be fine," I rolled my eyes. "Just do a straight line over the shoulder blades."

He nodded, and gently cut through the fabric. "So... Out of curiosity... How many weapons like this do you have...?"

"Oh... Good question..." I frowned, "How many do I have? Ten? Fifteen?"

"FIFTEEN!?"

I laughed, "I was kidding!" I saw him relax and hand me back the knife, which I used to cut off the bandages strapping my wings down. "I probably just have about five or six."

"Where'd you learn to use knives?"

"Taught myself," I answered, unfurling my wings and stretching them to their full length. The bones cracked and shifted slightly. "Aah! That really feels good..."

"You taught yourself to throw knives?" He asked, I could tell he was trying not to stare at my massive 18-foot wingspan.

"Ah, well, I really didn't have anyone else to show me," I shrugged, dropping my wings. "After a lot of practice, I learned to be perfect shot. It's quite easy when you need to have some way to protect yourself." I looked up, the sky was clear and I didn't hear any heartbeats of anyone who could be watching me.

"I'm going to go out for a little," I announced. "I won't be long, I promise."

"Oh, it's alright," he shrugged. "I actually would like to see you fly."

I chuckled as Amy came out of the door of the TARDIS. "I thought we were-- you have your wings out," she noted, waking over.

"Yeah, going to out for a little. Sorry, I'm just really antsy after being underground and in enclosed spaces and--"

"Can I watch?" She asked, her green eyes sparkling with excitement.

"If you want," I shrugged. She grinned and sat down on the blanket that was spread on the grainy, light, sandy beach.

"Go, go!" She grinned like a kid on Christmas.

I chuckled a little, "Okay, okay!" I walked across the beach, which turned into running, and jumped up, pushing my wings out as I did so, and soon I was in the air.

I heard Amy cheering on the ground, and I smiled, doing loops and flying over and under the gray clouds. The feeling of wing rushing over my feathers and through my ears would be one that I would tire of. I tucked in my wings, and free fell to the ground. I heard Amy gasp and the Doctor shout in surprise, when I suddenly pulled out my wings, about a hundred feet above the ground, and flying back up.

A few minutes of flying and playing around, I went back to the ground, laughing lightly. Amy came over and wrapped her arm around my neck, "That was so cool!" She grinned.

"Thanks," I smiled, slightly out of breath. "I just really needed to get that out of my system."

"It was beautiful," she smiled. I looked at her, I could feel a blush on my ears.

"It-it was nothing," I murmured, looking away. "C'mon, I still wanna go check out that museum real quick."

"Why?" Amy asked as I our my wings back into my sweater. "We barely got out last time. I doubt they'd let us back."

I nodded, "Well, of we can't go, that's fine," I shrugged, as we went back into the TARDIS. "So, Mr. Doctor, where to next?"

"You-you don't have to call me Mr. Doctor," he mumbled, entering the TARDIS behind Amy and I, I laughed.

"Actually, I want to go home," Amy said, and the Doctor paused.

He looked at her, and gave her a short, forced smile, "Okay." I frowned, he didn't want her to go. His eyes changed... They looked lonely... Betrayed?

"No, not like that," she exclaimed, seeing his upset face. "I just, I just want to show you something. You're running from River. I'm running too."

•/-•/--•/•-/--•/•/--•

We were in Amy's bedroom. She and the Doctor were sitting on the bed, while I stood near the side, invisible. "Well..." He said, looking at the wedding dress hanging on the closet door.

"Yeah," Amy nodded, looking at it.

"Blimey," he scratched his head.

"I know. This is the same night we left, yeah?"

"We've been gone five minutes," he says. "Hazel, why are you invisible?"

I subtly looked out the window seeing the Flyboys come down, looking around for my missing body, my eyes widened.

"Hazel why--" he didn't get to finish because raced over and I covered his mouth with my hand. Shushing Amy with my other one, and motioned to the TARDIS.

"Wh--" I covered her mouth with my other hand, glaring pointedly at her. Suddenly, a loud howl filled the air, and I bit my lip to keep myself from cursing violently. I heard footsteps rapidly approaching the house and I grabbed their hands, and pushed them in the TARDIS, just as a Flyboy came through the door, spotting me.

"Go! Go!" I shouted, as the robot grabbed my arm, it's claws racking into my skin. I cursed, and kicked it as hard as I could in the chest, making fly through the wall. The Doctor grabbed my arm and pulled me into the TARDIS closing the door and going to the console. "What the hell was that?!" He demanded as moved us far away from her house.

"Why were they in my house?" Amy asked, as I fell on the chair, running a hand through my hair.

"Dammmiiit," I groaned.

"Hazel, what was that?" The Doctor said look at me, eyes boring into my head.

I sighed and looked at him, my hazel eyes cold and irritated, "Its nothing. They're nothing, just... Forget, okay? Forget about it." I pushed off the chair and stalked down the hall, "Sorry about your house Amy."


	6. chapter six:

Chapter Six:

Doctor's POV

He watched silently as Hazel promptly left the room quickly, "Sorry about your house, Amy," she said before she disappeared down the hallway.

There was a short silence, "What... Just happened?"

He sighed and hand a hand through his floppy hair, "I-I think we should just leave her..." He murmured and turned to Amy. "So... Marriage?"

**••-•/•-••/-•--/-•••/---/-•--/•••**

Hazel's POV

I rocked in my really high hammock, staring at the ceiling that had clouds floating past every now and then. My wings exposed, since I was lying on my side. _I did it again,_ I thought bitterly, _I got regular(ish) people involved in my issues. I didn't need them. I needed to get out of here. To go find them. To-to make sure nobody else got involved in my own problems!_

I growled to myself, _I shouldn't have even stepped out of the friggin' TARDIS! I-I shouldn't have even stayed with them! The sooner I get out of here, the better! You'd think after all these years, I'd learn not to get attached to people!_

I sighed, fluttering my wings lightly, _what am I even thinking? These people provided me with a room and a pretty safe place to stay, so why am I having second thoughts now? What's wrong with me?!_

I groaned and threw my pillow at the door, simultaneously, the door opened and hit someone in the face. My eyes widened and I jumped down, landing on the floor roughly to see who it was.

The Doctor stood there, cradling his head, "Why is it, that whenever I enter a room with you, objects are hurtling in my direction?!"

"Sorry," I apologized. "I didn't know you were coming, if it means anything."

He sighed and tossed the pillow on the bed. "How's your arm?"

I frowned, "My arm? Nothing happened to my--" I looked down to see large cuts on my arm, from when the Flyboy scratched me. "Oh. I didn't even notice that."

"You didn't notice that your arm was bleeding out," he scoffed, and took my arm, sonicking it. After a few minutes, he gave his diagnostic, "It's not that bad. You heal five times the average human, so you'll be fine, in a hour or so."

I nodded and stuffed my hands in my sweatshirt pocket, "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to talk," he said, sitting on the bed, and motioned for me to sit beside him, which I did.

"Why'd you kiss Amy?" I suddenly asked, and he looked taken back for a second. "Her scent. It's all over you. In fact, you should probably change. With that and the hormones, ugh, it's intoxicating." I gagged dramatically, and he straighten his tie, his ears a light red.

"For your information, she kissed me," he stated indigently. "She was all over me, it's not like I wanted to kiss her. But then again, it wasn't like I didn't want to. She's a brilliant kisser, and-- wait. Way off topic." He frowned.

"Oh do go on," I grinned teasingly. "You were saying that she was a brilliant kisser and might do so ag--"

"She's engaged," he interrupted, his blush spreading to his cheeks. "And-And she's human! It would never work out..."

"Aww, don't say that," I frowned, nudging him lightly. "Who knows, you two might be the next universally known power couple. I can tell that you liked it," I wiggled my eyebrows and grinned devilishly.

He stared at me, his mouth slightly gaping, "You-You-- what are you now? The love doctor? Might as well give you a white coat and slap on a name tag!"

I stiffened slightly at the mention of a _'white coat'_ and forced a small smile, "Maybe not the white coat..."

He looked at me, his smile disappearing into a concerned frown, "What were those things back there?"

"It was nothing," I said instantly. "Really, just forget you ever saw it."

"Were they part of the school that you talked about?" He continued, not even acknowledging my request. "Are they after you too? I can help you know. I can stop them and whatever they are doing to you if you want. You can trust me, I'm the Doct--"

"No!" I snapped at him, making him freeze. "Why? Why would I trust you?! Why would I ever trust people like you? You're a doctor, I don't care what kind you are! You're still a doctor, you're still a Whitecoat! People like you did this to me! I hate people like you! You're all the same! You're all evil!!" I glared at him, but his hurt face made me stop and realize what I had just said. "Oh my god, Doctor, I'm--"

"You're right," he said, his dull green eyes were digging into my skull, making me want to shrink back and cower away. "I'm the Doctor. That's my name. That's the title I chose for myself, you know why? Because I decided a long, long time ago that I would help people like you! People who think they can't trust anyone, people who think that they are alone in this big, huge, universe with millions, billions of other people like them! Do you know what its like to be alone?! Do you know what it's like to know that you're the last of your kind because you killed everyone else?!! Do you!?"

I didn't say anything, I just looked at him in shock. His face was a bright red from anger, a vein pulsing on his head. His fists clenched and his back rigid, yet he stared down at me.

The worst part were his eyes.

His usual dull green eyes were dark and burned with fury and withheld rage and sadness. They reminded me-- no, they were worse than the Whitecoats could ever be. His felt like they were burning with a thousand suns. Like a wildfire that would never cease. His glare alone made it seem like it could topple entire civilizations.

And it was directed at me.

I quickly knew that I didn't stand a chance and my Fight or Flight response took over. Instinctively, I jumped off the bed and moved away, near the wall. My hand trailing to my waist where I knew I had a weapon stashed, and I crouched to the ground. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on ends and my shoulders tense, but I stared at the Doctor, waiting for him to attack me.

When he saw that I moved and had been ready to arm myself, his glare softened, and was easily replaced with a concerned look. "Hazel...?"

I didn't say anything. My mind had gone blank, like it had been jumbled up, and then swept away, and soon, panic filled through my body. _What if he was actually with the School? What if he was faking all along? What if he only responded like that because I had identified him? What if Amy was with the School too? What if this whole thing had been planned out for me to gain his trust so he can go and break me again? What if there were Erasers and Flyboys positioned right outside the room now, just waiting to kill me?_

My panic quickly turned to hopelessness, _what was I going to do now?! Why do I always find myself in these situations?! Was I going to die by the hands of a Whitecoat? Why is it always me!?_

"Hazel, I'm sorry," the Doctor apologized carefully. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

I looked at him, he had came closer. I quickly moved back, so that he he was just as far away. I kept my eyes on him as I tried to calm my racing heart. _Where are the Erasers? Was he some kind of new Eraser in disguise? Is he going to kill me? This whole thing had to be set up! It's all my fault! I'm so stupid! I shouldn't have trusted him, I shouldn't have trusted anyone!!_

"Hazel, please," he pleaded. "I didn't mean to shout at you like that, I swear."

I heard footsteps coming down the hallway, and I snapped my head at the door to see Amy emerge from the hall. "I heard shouting," she said, looking at us. "What's going on?"

I stared at Amy and then the Doctor. _Was she going to kill me too? If they were both part of the School, I couldn't take them both, especially if reinforcements come in. I'm trapped... I'm trapped..._

"Amy! Get out, you're overwhelming her!" The Doctor shouted to the woman.

I just kept glancing back and forth from both of them. I felt my abilities lose control, like they do when I'm extremely nervous. My invisibility flickered, and the metal walls bent slightly. I could hear his hearts beating quickly, and it thrummed in my ears. The humming of the TARDIS had increased in volume as well, and made my ears ring. My eyes burned, and I knew they were a bright yellow.

"Hazel, calm down," he tried move again, but I quickly moved back.

"Don't come near me!" I shouted, and he went stiff, along with Amy. "Don't-Dont... Leave me alone...! I don't want to go back to the School! I don't want to, I--"

"Hazel," he said in a strained voice. "We want to help. Please, let us help."

I looked at him then at Amy, both of them were staring at me, as if they were concerned. Then, my eyes stopped burning, and they both gasped loudly, Amy nearly fell. The Doctor went over to help her, still keeping an eye on me the entire time.

After he was certain that she was okay, he turned to me. Taking a few steps over, and I flinched at his closeness. Once he was right beside me, my heart began to speed up again. I felt him take my hand, which was trembling violently, and place it on his chest. I felt the rhythmic beating of his heart. He moved it to the other side, and I felt the same.

After that, he dropped my hand, which I kept close to my chest, and bent down to my level. "If I had been anything like a human who had intentionally hurt you, would I have two hearts? Would I have let you into my TARDIS and helped you?"

He took me by the sides of my head, and stared straight into my eyes. His dull green ones searching into my dark brownish-hazel ones that were now tinted with a fading yellow. "Hazel, I'm so sorry for all the things I said to you, and I hope you could find it in your heart somewhere to forgive me. I never meant to startle you, and I never meant to yell, but I want you to understand that I'll never be anyone who would ever think about harming you."

I gave him a small nod, my hands still shaking. "I-I'm sorry I freaked out. It happens sometimes. And I didn't mean to control you, it-it just came out... I'm sorry..." I apologized, but I was still shaking. Those dark eyes plagued my mind, and made me feel even jumpier everytime I would think about it. They were too similar to a Whitecoats', and that scared me.

He smiled at me, and dropped his hands, standing up. "Well... Now that that's all settled. Let's go have a chat with Amelia's boyfriend!"

**•-•/---/•-•/-•--**

After everything had been settled, I had been fed a great big lunch as an extra apology (and to refuel my calories), the Doctor supposedly jumped out of a stripper cake, and I was introduced to Rory Williams, Amy's fiancé.

Rory had rusty red hair and green eyes, similar to Amy's. He was a bit tall, and wore a red sweater with his and Amy's faces in it, inside of a heart, and jeans. He seemed like a very nice guy, except for one small fact.

He was a **Whitecoat.**

When they had first brought him into the TARDIS, I smelled the Whitecoat-i-ness immediately and pretty much ran away, nearly having another panic attack. The Doctor found me a few minutes later, hiding in the kitchen, wielding myself with a kitchen knife (since he had all my other weapons revoked and thrown into a black hole...).

He calmed me down and pried the knife from my fingers, telling me that Rory wasn't a threat and that he was just a nurse, which really didn't help. When we made it back to the console room, Rory was very confused. I stood behind the Doctor, glaring occasionally at the redheaded Scot. I didn't let him get five feet within me, and if we so much as accidentally touched, I had no problem with easily snapping said body part(s).

"I-I don't understand," he said, his accent was a bit British, but hinted at Scottish to match his appearance, whereas Amy's sounded like she stepped out of Scotland. "Why does she hate me?"

"Ah, well, she has a thing against doctors and nurses and... Such..." He frowned and moved so he could see me. "C'mon Hazel, stop being so shy."

"I don't want to talk to him," I murmured, knowing full well I was acting like child, but I didn't care. Since he was Amy's boyfriend, we couldn't exactly get rid of him, so I really had no other choice but to avoid him completely.

"I told you, he's a nice little fellow," he grinned, still trying to move me.

"No," I protested stubborn, looking away.

"C'mon, just look at him," he insisted. "He can't hurt you if you look at him."

I frowned, but turned my head to him, my eyes set into a glare and my cheeks puffed out. "See, progress!" He grinned, "Now, tell him your name."

I looked at him like he was crazy, "You don't tell Whitecoats your name!" I hissed.

"Why not?"

"Because then, they can track you with your real name, and even if its your fake one, and sent a barrage of Erasers after you!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air.

"I'm sorry, but did you just say 'erasers'? As in the rectangle, pink ones for writing?"

I sighed and ran a hand down my face. "I don't want to talk to him anymore!"

A few minutes later, I was forced to sit on the steps on the lower level of the TARDIS, right next to said Whitecoat as the Doctor went to go meddle with the TARDIS's wiring.

I sat there, a pout on my lips and a glare in my eyes, and I sat as far away from Rory as possible. "Oh, the life out there, it dazzles," the Doctor rambled about the universe as he worked. "I mean, it blinds you to the things that are important. I've seen it devour relationships and plans. It's meant to do that. Because for one person to have seen all that, to taste the glory and then go back, it will tear you apart. So, I'm sending you somewhere, together."

"Whoa," Amy chuckled, "What, like a date?"

"Anywhere you want. Any time you want. One condition. It has to be amazing," he said with a smile. "The Moulin Rouge in 1890. The first Olympic Games. Think of it as a wedding present, because it's either this or tokens. It's a lot to take in, isn't it? Tiny box, huge room inside. What's that about? Let me explain."

"It's another dimension," Rory answered, looking around himself.

"It's basically another dimension," he frowned realizing that Rory had just said that. "What?"

"After what happened with Prisoner Zero, I've been reading up on all the latest scientific theories," he explained. "FTL travel, parallel universes."

"I like the bit when someone says it's bigger on the inside," he frowned. "I always look forward to that. You're the second person to ruin it."

"Who was the first?" He asked, and he motioned to me.

I looked away, "The proper term is dimensionally transcendental," I paused, adding. "Like your coat pockets."

"What?" Amy looked at him, "Your coat pockets are bigger on the inside?"

"How did you know about that?" He frowned.

"That one time you let me borrow it. I stuck my hands in the pockets," I shrugged. "It had been out of force of habit, but my arms reached down to my elbows."

"So, this date," Amy interrupted, changing our subject. "I'm kind of done with running down corridors. What do you think, Rory?"

"How about somewhere romantic?" He grinned.

**•••-/•/-•/••/•-•-/•**

"Venice," the Doctor said, as we stepped out of the TARDIS and into the crowded streets of people and animals. "Venezia. La Serenissima. Impossible city. Preposterous city. Founded by refugees running from Attila the Hun. It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the middle of the marsh, but became one of the most powerful cities in the world. Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding, constantly just beautiful. Ah, you got to love Venice. So many people did. Byron, Napoleon, Casanova. Ooo, that reminds me. 1580. That's all right. Casanova doesn't get born for a hundred and forty five years. Don't want to run into him. I owe him a chicken."

"Why do you owe him chicken?" I asked.

"Long story. We had a bet," he frowned and went to go explore the busy streets filled with people, until we were stopped by a man in a black suit.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," he said. "Papers, if you please. Proof of residency, current bill of medical inspection, and for the property of your slave."

I frowned, "Slave?" The man glared at me, and I, slightly taken back, glared back.

"You shall not speak without the command of your master!" He hissed.

I gaped, and looked at the Doctor, who looked at me with a frowned. "Right... Slavery laws still in place... Here," he pulled out a black leather wallet, that was face the opposite direction, so I wasn't able to read it. "All to your satisfaction, I think you'll find. And, she isn't a slave."

Now it was his turn to gape, "I-I am so sorry, Your Holiness. I didn't realize..."

"No worries," the Doctor smiled, "You were just doing your job. Sorry, what exactly is your job?"

"Checking for aliens," at this I frowned. "Visitors from foreign lands what might bring the plague with them." Oh.

"Oh, that's nice," Amy said with a hint of sarcasm. "See where you bring me? The plague."

"Don't worry, Viscountess," he assured. "No, we're under quarantine here. No one comes in, no one goes out, and all because of the grace and wisdom of our patron, Signora Rosanna Calvierri."

"How interesting," the Doctor nodded. "I heard the plague died out years ago."

"Not out there," the man explained. "No, Signora Calvierri has seen it with her own eyes. Streets are piled high with bodies, she said."

"How would you know if no one's gone out to check?" I frowned at the man.

"We trust the word of our Queen, Madam," he explained.

"But, what if she's lying?" I pried.

"Our Queen would never lie to us!" He exclaimed.

"Would she now?" The Doctor asked and walked away, followed by Amy and Rory, but I stared at the man for a few seconds longer.

"Uhm... I sincerely apologize for mistaking you for a lowly slave, miss."

I glared at him, "Damn right you are." With that, I turned away, with the man gaping at my 'dirty' words.

I met back up with Amy, Rory and the Doctor, who was watching a man across the canal, begging for his daughter back. Then, he was pushed to the ground, and I heard a sharp hiss from someone.

"What was that all about?" Amy asked, but the Doctor had disappeared across the canal already. "I hate it when he does that..." She turned to me, "We're going to explore Venice, wanna come along?"

I looked at her, "No, its okay. You two go explore. It's supposed to be your date, anyway."

"You sure?"

"Positive," I gave her a small, reassuring smile, and she grinned, pulling Rory away from me, and running off.

When they were out of sight, my smile melted and I walked the opposite direction, mindlessly wandering the streets of Venice.

**•--/••/•-••/•-••/••/•-/--**

I was walking when I saw a man cornering a young woman in a yellow sun dress. He had on a black cloak and his mouth spread in a malicious smile. I narrowed my eyes and walked over, grabbing his cloaked arm. "You must have better things to do than torment this woman."

"I highly advise that you release me," he said, firmly.

"Sure I will, once she's safe," I motioned for the woman to leave, and she quickly ran away, picking up her flower basket and tears in her eyes.

The man made a inhuman growl, "If I can't have her, then I suppose you will do," he bared his teeth, revealing long, needle-like, vampire fangs.

"You have got to be kidding me," I groaned as he lunged at me, aiming for my neck.

I quickly sidestepped, punching him in the stomach. He flew to the wall, and slid back, growling at me. He ran at me again, and I dodged, but he suspected this, grabbing the end of my frizzy hair. I yelped as he pulled me back, his strength was nearly on par to my inhuman one.

He held me in the air, by my hair. I winced in pain, as he laughed, his creepy fangs coming out and without warning, his mouth plunged into my neck. I gritted my teeth in pain, fumbling with one of the knives that I had smuggled from the kitchen, and quickly cut off my hair and rolling away.

He looked at me, "Your blood... is nothing like I've ever tasted...! It's-It's delicious!!" His pupils went wide, and he ran at me again, strengthened by the taste of my blood. "More! I want more!! Give me more!!"

He lunged again, with me weakened from his first attack, it was not hard for him to pin me down and push his lethally sharp fangs into my neck again. I shouted in pain, the knife skidding across the ground from the impact.

I kicked and struggled away from him, but his grip was like steel, and I couldn't move away. My breathing began to quicken and I kicked him in the crotch, making him stop his drinking session.

His grip loosened, and I took this chance to wrap my legs around his waist, flipping him around on the ground, my arm on his neck, holding him down. I brought the knife to my hand and pointed it at him. His eyes filled with fear, and he looked at me, suddenly realizing the situation he was in and he whimpered.

I hesitated, for a second, and he took this chance to sink his teeth into my arm. I jumped, and he took this chance to kick me in the stomach, and hit the wall. I heard a painfully pop, and I knew I had dislocated a wing.

Lying on the ground, in pain, I saw him stalk over, not before kicking my knife away. Blood -- my blood -- trailing from his lips. He pushed me up against the wall, and I winced in pain. He brought his mouth down on my neck, once more, until suddenly, someone emerged from around the corner.

"HAZEL!" Amy yelled. He mumbled a curse and ran away, dropping me to the ground like a bag of bricks. Amy ran after the vampire, but Rory went over to me, but I quickly moved away. I said this Whitecoat wasn't going to touch me and I meant it.

"He got away..." Amy growled and went to me. "Hazel are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I muttered, although I really felt like shit. "Let's go find the Doctor..."

I went to stand up, but two strong arms held me down. I hissed at him, but he didn't seem to care. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I still need to check your injuries!"

"Let go of me," I growled threateningly, pulling away. "Don't touch me."

"Hazel, he just wants to help," Amy said, but I moved away from them, standing up by myself.

"I'm fine," I said in a more firmer voice. I was very proud of myself that I was able to walk to the end of the alley before falling unconscious.

**•••-/•-/--/•--•/••/-•/•/•••**

I woke up with a start. I was in a small room, the Doctor standing in front of me, looking at a map. I saw Amy and Rory beside him along with some other man. They were talking but my hearing felt all garbled and I didn't even try to make out what they was saying

The Doctor looked over his shoulder and at me, then turning around. He froze for a few seconds, but turned back, a large smile on his face, "You're awake!" He shouted.

I winced, feeling a headache, "Shh... Shh," I murmured, rubbing my head.

He went on his knees, and down at me, "Are you okay?!" He asked in a loud voice, again. "You lost so much blood, and you dislocated your--" he was promptly cut off by me slamming my finger on his mouth.

"Sshhhh," I repeated, sitting up. "Just-just shhh."

"Shh...?" He said, very confused.

I gave him a small nod, "Shh..." I tried to sit up, but he pushed me back down gently.

"No. You can't get up yet, you're still hurt," he warned, but I shook my head. I took a metal spatula that was lying beside me, quickly molding it into a knife and cut my arm lightly. "Wha-- no! Don't--" he was too late. I dripped some blood on my arm, rubbing it, and then into my mouth.

"What... why? Is she a vampire now too?" Rory asked, and I rolled my eyes.

"It has healing properties," I quickly explained, feeling much less sluggish. I felt my wings flutter gently, and I turned around rubbing it. _He was right, I did locate my wings, but it wasn't that bad._ "You did a good job setting it back," I nodded, stretching them a bit until I heard a satisfying pop.

"Oh yeah," he nodded. "I did that--" not even hesitating, I took the nearest object, which happened to be a cork, and hit him directly in the head.

"You let him touch me?!" I exclaimed, glaring at the Doctor.

"He was the only nurse at the time," he defended.

"And?! You're a doctor!"

"I'm _THE_ Doctor! There is a very reasonably sized difference between helping people and curing them!"

"And what about my wings?!"

"You were going to die!"

"Then you should've let me! Not let him anywhere near me!!"

The Doctor sighed, trying to calm himself down. "I was trying to help."

I looked at him, his dull green eyes were brimming with regret. I sighed, "Fine. Fine, whatever. You did what you had to do." I turned to Rory, who had a small red bump growing on his head. "You are really lucky I didn't wake up while you were fixing me."

"You didn't have to throw a cork at me," he mumbled.

"Be happy I didn't throw the knife," the Doctor hit me on the arm for that comment. "What? I was being in the least bit kind." He glared again, and I sighed, turning the knife back into spatula. "What are you guys doing?"

"Finding ways to infiltrate the creepy school of Vampires," Amy explained. "And save his daughter."

"Okay, cool," I nodded. "And the one who attacked me?"

"He got away," she frowned.

I nodded, sniffing a bit. "If you're going to go in, you need to be really, really careful."

"Why?" Amy frowned.

"He drank my blood," I ran a hand through my hair. "There's a chance that he might turn out like me."

"What, you mean, he'll spout wings?" Rory frowned and I gave him a short glare.

"No. He could probably turn invisible or control metal or having healing blood or--" I paused, my eyes slowly widening. " _Shit..._ "

"What? What could happen?" The Doctor asked.

I covered my face with my hands, "He could _sing_..." I sighed. "This is bad. This is really, really bad..."

"I don't understand," the Man-who's-name-I-have-yet-to-learn spoke up. "What's wrong if he sings?"

I ran a hand through hair. "I'm coming with you," I said, not answering his question.

"No," the Doctor said, frustrated. "It's already bad Amy's going, I don't need you jumping in too. They'd smell your blood too easily."

"Besides," Rory spoke up. "You're still hurt. If you go, you'd just get hurt more."

"You don't understand," I said, my hands trembling slightly. "If he sings, if he sings just a single note, he could kill someone."

The room went a deadly silent. "What do you mean?" The Doctor spoke up.

I ran a hand through my hair, wondering how to explain this. "I'm part hummingbird, which is why I have wings. Hummingbird's vocals have a higher pitch them most other birds. Not only that, but their vocals are different. Sometimes, a Hummingbirds tweet can help heal wounds, and that's at a normal level. But, at a higher level, like it's song, it could quite literally... Kill someone..." I sighed again. "I'm not sure if it'll happen right away or overtime but they're is still a possibility..."

Silence again. "So... You mean, that if he sings, he'd kill someone?" Rory said, and I nodded. "What about you? I'd you sing, would you kill us?"

"How long have I been out?" I asked, looking at the window. "What is is? Six? Seven? If you plan on infiltrating Vampire Academy, we might want to--"

"Hazel, why are you avoiding the question?" Amy asked, and I rose an eyebrow.

"Question? What question? If anything, you're avoiding my question and that's--" I cut myself off, when I saw the intense glare the Doctor was giving me.

I exhaled. "Yes, I could do that, but I don't. If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead." The room went silent again, and I looked away, mad that I had to disclose such information.

"So how about it," Amy spoke up. "I go to the Vampire school as Rory's brother."

"I'm still coming," I added.

"No, you aren't," the Doctor argued.

I glared at him, "We'll see."

**-•** **••/•-••/---/---/-••**

"So, basically, both of our parents are dead from getting the plague," Rory told the woman bluntly. "I'm a gondola driver, so money's a bit tight, so having my sister go to your school for special people would be brilliant," he laughed nervously. "Cheers."

I narrow my eyes and resist the temptation to facepalm. _Rory's not only a Whitecoat, he's also a idiot! Would it hurt to act like you're from the 1500s, just a little!_

"Have we met?" The cold voice of the young man beside the elegant woman asked, looking at Amy.

"I've just got one of those faces," Rory said, trying to help, but failing miserably.

"I wasn't talking to you," the man scoffed.

"She's got the same face, which is because she's my sister," he smiled, but I could hear the pounding of his nervous heart.

"Carlo, explain yourself," the woman demanded. "Why have you brought me this imbecile?"

"Signora," a man behind us answered, who I'm guessing is Carlo. "They have references from His Majesty the King of Sweden."

"What?" The woman exclaimed, "Let me see." Rory walked over and handed the physic paper to the woman. Meanwhile, the man who attacked me went to Amy, silently circling her. I took a silent step back, making sure he didn't touch me at all, but he didn't notice since he didn't see me.

"Well, now I see what got my Steward so excited," the woman sighed. "What say you, Francesco? Do you like her?"

"Oh, I do, Mother," the man, Francesco, said, I saw him sniff her and sigh in delight. "I do."

"Then we would be delighted to accept her," the woman smiled. "Say goodbye to your sister." She motioned to Carlo, who grabbed Rory by the shoulders, pulling him away.

"Tell Uncle Doctor we-- I'll see you both really soon, okay?" She smiled at her fiancé, who had more of a worried look on his face. "I'll be fine."

"Amy," Rory muttered, concern shining in his eyes before he was pulled out of the building.

**••/•••/•-/-•••/•/•-••/•-••/•-**

We walked up the steps leading into a tower silently, occasionally passing groups of vampire girls who would hiss at Amy, and didn't seem to notice me. Eventually, we made it to her dorm-room, filled with a bunch of vampire girls, who stared at us once we entered.

"There are clothes on the bed," Carlo said. "Get changed and wait here."

Amy looks around the interior designing of the dorm room, as do I. It is beautiful, I have to admit, "Blimey," she breathed. "This is private education, then?"

Carlo rolled his eyes and took everyone out of the room, except for Amy, and a dark-skinned girl, with beautiful long brown dark hair. She was sitting on the bed, staring at the floor, but by the subtle glances she gave Amy, I could tell she was curious.

"Hey," Amy smiled to the girl politely, sitting on the vacant bed across from her. "Hello, I'm Amy. What's your name?"

"Isabella," she answered, her voice soft and quiet. I nodded, and went to the door, making sure it was completely closed, then undid my invisibility. She looked at me, probably surprised that a girl had magically appeared near the wall. "How-- where did you come from!?" She exclaimed, but I shushed her, not wanting to cause some kind of riot.

"Listen, we're going to get you out of here," Amy explained. "But I need you to tell me what's going on. What is this place? What are they doing?"

She nodded, understanding that we were hear to help. "They er, they come at night," she explained. "They gather around my bed, and they take me to a room with this green light and a chair with straps, as if for a surgeon."

I frowned, the situation she described sounding all too familiar. "What happens in there?" I asked.

Isabella shook her head and gave a small sigh, "I wake up here. And the sunlight burns my skin like candle wax." A bell struck loudly, making me cringe.

Amy sighed, and looked at me, who was giving the girl a thoughtful look. "Hazel why did you undo the invisibility?" Amy demanded, "They could come in at anytime!"

"Using the invisibility is like holding your breath underwater," I explained. "I was nearly at my limit. I need to rest for a few minutes..." I sighed and sat down on one of the beds, looking at her. "If one of the girls say that they smell bird, just... Ignore them..."

Amy sighed, "And now, all we have to do, is wait..."

**••/-/•-/•-••/-•--**

We were exploring the damp basement. I was invisible, and Amy holding a candle. It was really eerie, since there was water dripping down from nowhere, and occasionally, I would hear the scuttling of mice.

Neither of us have spoken a word since we didn't want the Vampires to hear us. We passed a corpse lying on the ground, it's bones brittle and it's body brown. I suppressed a gasp in shock, and glanced at Amy, who didn't seem to notice the rotting body.

Finally, we find a dusty cover on the floor. Amy pulls it back to reveal a trapdoor with a keyhole. She pulls on the trapdoor, but it doesn't budge. It's locked.

I go over and placed a hand on it. I frowned, _the lock is old and extremely complicated. It would take at least five minutes for me to undo... We didn't have that time to waste. We'd have to find another way in, somehow._

I tap her hand twice, signaling _'no'_. She nodded and stood up. My eyes widened when I saw a man standing behind her. I tried to stop Amy, but it was too late.

She turned, hitting the man in the chest, and falling down. The candle fell beside her, easily going out. The dark room was replaced by a creepy green light that seemed to be emitting from the walls.

Carlo grabbed Amy by the arms, forcing her the opposite way. "Control yourself, child!" He hissed at her.

"Let go of her," I shouted, undoing the invisibility and pulling his arm off, nearly breaking his wrist in response. "C'mon we need to--"

"Stop," a bored, familiar voice said, making Amy and I go stiff. Francesco stepped into our vision, his eyes a bright yellow, similar to mine's when--

**Oh my god.**

"You're a interesting human," Francesco said causally, walking over. "You're blood. It's different." He caressed my cheek with his long fingernail. "It's very... Delicious. You wouldn't mind if I had a bit more, would you?"

A growl rose from my throat and my eyes went yellow too, "Release us," I commanded, but his power didn't waver.

"You're abilities are also interesting," he commented, going over to Amy. "I found them earlier around dawn. I was singing a short tune, and suddenly one of our students dropped dead."

Amy gave a small gasp, and I clenched my teeth. "It was quite unfortunate, you see," he continued. "She was such a pretty girl," he sighed and played on the ends of my hair. "Oh well. Mother was going to disposed of her anyway." He let go, and looked at me, "She is quite eager to meet you two. In fact, she is coming down now."

"This is your last chance," I groaned, glaring heavily at the man. "Release. Us."

"Or what?" He laughed, staring at me playfully. "There's nothing you can--"

He was cut off by me kicking him in the crotch. Unsuspecting this, he fell to his knees. Swiftly, I kicked him in the head, and he fell to the ground, groaning painfully. I turned to Carlo and punched him, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Amy gasped, and I caught her, "You could move?" Amy asked as I wrapped her arm around my neck.

"Yeah. When I activated it the first time, it nullified his ability," I explained, as we quickly ran to the exit. Amy was much weaker, since she had been under his influence for longer than I had. "Just had to wait for the right-- _shit_."

We stopped because the exit was being blocked by Vampire girls. I turned to see the other exit being closed in as well. The woman from earlier stepped out and glared at us. " _Psychic paper,_ " she scoffed. "Did you really think that would work on me?" One of the Vampire girls moved to help Francesco.

"We were hoping," I shrugged. The girls pulled me away from Amy, and grabbed our arms. I glared at them and they hissed back. Fighting back was useless, seeing that we were obviously outnumbered.

They dragged us to a cellar. My eyes widen when I see two metal chair with leather straps and plastic medical bags. I quickly pull back, not wanting to enter the room. My breathing quickens and I slammed my feet into the ground. "Let go! Let go of me!!" I screamed. _No! Not again!!_

Amy looked at me as I was placed into the chair, my arms strapped down. I felt a sharp prick in my neck, and a few seconds later, my body went stiff. "Paralysis shot," the woman said, with a smug grin. "Enough to hold off a large animal."

"Leave her alone!" Amy shouted as they strapped her and I to the chair, gagging me around the mouth for extra precaution.

"Now that that's taken care of," The woman clapped her hands and the girls left the room after they had set everything up, leaving us four. "Where are you from? Did you fall through the Chasm?"

"Mother this is pointless," he sighed impatiently, his eyes not leaving my body the ever since we've entered. "Let's just start the process and--"

"Hold your tongue, Francesco," she interrupted him. "I need to know what this girl is doing in a world of savages with psychic paper. Who are you with? You see, I scarcely believe your idiot brother sent you. What are you doing in my school?"

"Okay, I'll tell you!" Amy said, glancing at me hesitantly. "I'm from Ofsted."

The woman glared at her, "Oh, make sport of me, will you? Tease me as if I were your dog?" She -- ironically -- growled, "Well, this dog has a bite, girl."

"Mother," Francesco spoke up, striding over to me, where my eyes were set into a dangerous glare and my chest heaving in quick, panicky breathes. _There was no way out. Even if I controlled the metal, it would still be useless, he could just bend it back. Besides, if I did get out, they'd surely use Amy as a hostage, and I would be in a tough situation. Not to mention the Paralysis poison, which does not seem to be wearing off anytime soon._

"If I may, can I have the first drink of this one?" He asked politely, grabbing my chin tightly, squishing my cheeks. "She's quite irresistible, you see. I've held myself back all this time, but I believe I'm at my limit."

"Do go ahead," she shrugged carelessly. "We only need this one. You may drink her dry if you like, but please save some for me."

The man smiled, "Of course, Mother." With that he bit into my neck, and I suppressed a scream. I felt him drain the blood from my system, moaning in delight. I tried to move and struggle away, but the Paralysis was strong, only having me to occasionally twitch my fingers and sometimes arm.

Soon, the green room began to haze and blur together and my ears began to ring loudly. I saw something enter the room, and someone else pick me up quickly before everything went black.

**••-•/••/•••/••••**

I woke up groggily to a white room. The air smelt sterile and there was a annoying mechanical--

I jumped up, going to the back of my pants for my knife. I saw the Doctor flipping casually through a book, not even sparing a glance at me. After watching him for a few seconds, then glancing at the door, to see it was closed shut, I sighed, and lied back on the bed.

"You lost much more blood," the Doctor noted. "You almost died."

"But I didn't," I gave him wink, but he looked at me seriously.

"When I was helping you earlier, I found these." he went behind him and pulled out several knives. They were all different. Some were kitchen knives, others were makeshift ones out of the scrap metals I had found in Guido, Isabella's father, home. "Want to explain why they were on you?"

"I wasn't going to run into the School o' Vampires unarmed," I explained, crossing my arms, and looking away.

"Hazel we went over this," he sighed. "You don't have to be a walking, talking arsenal."

"Sorry," I apologized, running a hand through my hair. "I just..."

"You need to start trusting me," he said seriously. "I won't let anything happen to you, but if you won't let me, then I can't."

"And what if when you're not there? What if I was alone and was attacked? Doctor, you're not Superman. You can't be everywhere at once," I sighed. "Besides, it wasn't like I was going to go up and kill someone. They were for self-defense."

"Hazel, you don't need these, even if they are for self-defense. You're fourteen! You should be going out. Being a teenager! Enjoying life."

I laughed bitterly, "You know I can't do that?"

"Why not?"

"Well, first of all, bird kids aren't exactly a concept ready for society yet. I can't even go outside without looking over my shoulder for Erasers. Besides... I'm a freak. I was a mistake and shouldn't even be alive."

"Don't say that," he growled.

"It's true!" I cried, "I'm _defective_! I was supposed to die a few days after they first tested on me! I could never have a normal life, even if I wanted to..."

Then, his large arms wrapped around my body, pulling me into a strong hug. "Hazel, you're not defective," he assured. "Don't ever say that. You are a beautiful living girl in this universe. You are the most amazing human I've ever lived to know. Know why?" I didn't answer, and he poked me in the chest. "You've got two, brilliant wings on your back, which doesn't make you a freak. It makes you unique, and unique is good."

I didn't saw anything for a while, until finally, we pulled away. I looked at the ground, and brought my wing out, pulling it over my body, and in front of him. "What-why did you--"

"You can touch it," I interrupted. He gave me a strange look and I added, "I never let anyone willingly touch my wings."

His eyes fractioned. He hesitantly stretched out a hand so that he could touch my black-and-brown feather wing, when...

"Hazel! You're awake!!" Amy shouted, making me jump and recoil against the bed. I saw that she was with Rory, both wearing different clothes.

I sighed, calming myself down, and looked at her. "Why do you have your wings out?" She questioned, sitting at the foot of the bed.

"No reason," I shrugged, not sparing a glance at the Doctor's disappointed face.

"Can I..." Rory spoke up hesitantly. "Uhm... Can I to--"

"No," I denied instantly, my voice harsh, and threatening. He looked away and I glared at him.

An awkward silence rang through the air. I turned to the Doctor, "Where are we going next? And, can I suggest a place with no Vampires in the area?"

He rolled his eyes, "Actually, I was going to take Amy and Rory to the Delai Galaxy. It's a really good vacationing spot and--"

"What about me?" I frowned, "You said you were taking Amy and Rory...?"

"Well, you're going to stay here," he explained. "In bed. Where no more Vampires can suck your blood out, that I know of."

"Why?"

"Because," he gave me a firm look, "You need to rest. First you have a Angel in your mind, then you're having your blood sucked out by fish!" _Fish?_ "You've been through alot. Therefore, as your Doctor, I demand that you stay here and relax."

I frowned at him, "It wasn't that much blood," I pouted.

"It was a lot of blood," he said.

I sighed, "Fine. I'll stay here, you three go have fun. Bring me back a souvenir or something."

The Doctor grinned, "See, that's the spirit!"

I rolled my eyes, "Just go." Amy smiled and the three of them left the room, discussing their plans, leaving me by myself.

After sitting in my room for a few minutes, of just sitting there, I reluctantly decided to lie down, and let sleep and exhaustion consume me. 


	7. chapter seven:

Chapter Seven:

Hazel's POV 

_"No!" I shouted as the Erasers dragged me out of the dog cage. "DON'T TOUCH ME! LEAVE ME ALONE!!" I felt one of their arms snake around my waist and I screamed._

_They yanked me out of the cage and practically threw me across the room. I skidded to a halt on the ground, my body far too weak to pull myself up._

_One of them grabbed my arm with their strong, iron grip, and hit me across the face. I bit my lip to keep myself from crying out, as they roughly dragged me into the experimenting room._

_The room was dark, with several Whitecoats standing along in and around the room. My eyes widened in few as they chained me down on the metal table that was marked up with claw scratches and blood stains._

_"Today we are going to enhance Subject-63a's vocals to match ones of a hummingbird's," the Whitecoat said, straightening the medical supplies. "Let's begin."_

_They brought the sharp scalpel down on my throat and I screamed._

**-••/•-•/•/•-/--/•••**

Doctor's POV

"Hazel!" He shouted, running down the hall. They had all awaken from their psychic pollen-induced slumber, but Hazel wasn't in their dream. He could only assume that she was trapped in her own nightmare.

He entered the hospital room, Hazel sleeping on the bed, her face twisted with terror. He quickly went to the machine, doing a brain scan. "I don't understand," Amy said, entering the room. "Why hasn't she woken up yet? We woke up."

"She wasn't with us when we fell asleep," he explained looking at scanner. Extremely high brain activity.

He went to her bed, watching as she whimpered and yelped again, breathing heavily. "What can we do?" Amy asked.

"We wait," he frowned. "She needs to find some way to die in her dream, and when she does, we'll be right here when she wakes up."

**•--•/---/•-••/•-••/•/-•**

Hazel's POV

_Their testing had left my neck bleeding and my body weak. Tears from pain streaked down my cheeks as they undid the chains, and pushed me off the table. The Erasers dragged me back to the room, and shoved me in a cage, locking the door._

_I pulled my body close and tried to cry into my legs, but my throat felt like it was going to burn whenever I did so. I hesitantly closed my eyes._

_Then the room changed and I was running down a wet street, my jacket clinging to my body because of the pouring rain over head. My wings too wet and heavy for me to fly. I heard Erasers howl loudly behind me, making me run faster._

_Shelter, I thought, I need shelter._

_I turned the corner only to find a dead end. I turned back, to see the Erasers had cornered me. Their human facial features gone and replaced with wolf fur that drooped in the rain. There were about five of them, each brandishing weapons that gleamed in the moonlight._

_"No where to run, Tweety bird," the Eraser grinned maliciously._

_"There's always a way," I said, pulling out my knife that I kept in my back pocket._

_The Eraser lunged at me, and I easily stabbed him in the side and dodging. The Eraser moved towards the wall, and glared at me, and I growled back._

_We went again, I moved to the side, but the Eraser suspected this, snatching a fistful of hair and throwing me towards the wall. I hit the wall with a painful thud, landing on the ground. One Eraser took this chance to shoot at me, but I quickly rolled away._

_I took a small knife out and threw it with dangerous accuracy at the Erasers leg and he shouted in pain, moving back. I stood back up, steadying my feet, when one of the Erasers came up behind me and wrapped his arm around my neck, putting me in a choke hold._

_I gasped, clawing at me neck, my oxygen quickly escaping my body. I tried to pull on his arms, but his grip was iron. The other Eraser came over to me, I saw a knife gleaming in his hands. I gritted my teeth, and stabbed the Eraser in the stomach sharply, turning it in a full circle before he finally loosened his grip._

_I took this chance to take his hand, pulling it over, just as the Eraser lunged at me, and he took the hit instead. I took the knife out and threw it at the Erasers head, going straight through his skull, and he dropped dead as well._

_The final three Erasers glared and snarled at me and I growled back. Then, all three of them lunged, one of them grabbing me by the waist and bringing me to the brick wall. Another punched me in the gut, leaving me gasping, and the final holding a pistol out from a distance, ready to shoot me dead._

_The Eraser slammed my body into the wall multiple times, until I felt blood from the back of my head and my vision going a dangerous murky black. My knife dropping to the ground, only to be kicked out of range._

_I gritted my teeth and bit his hands that were holding my shoulders. Blood splattered everywhere, and the Eraser began to scream in pain, but I wasn't letting go. My other hand trailed around his waist until they wrapped around the hilt of a knife. I grabbed it out and stabbed him in the chest. I heard gun shots and a sharp pain in my shoulder but I pushed the body towards the other Eraser, knocking them both down._

_The Eraser with a gun shot at me a few more times, but I dodged it, going near the trashcans. Finally, he ran out of bullets and I took this chance to jump at him. I climbed up his body easily and snapping his neck, and he fell to the ground._

_I looked at the final Eraser, who moved the dead Eraser's body off his own, and growled inhumanely at me. He got up and we circled each other, like I had done earlier. I had suffered many more wounds than he did, after being strangled, my side's bleeding, a bullet in my shoulder, and my head's bleeding. The only injury he suffered was a knife in his thigh, that looked to be perfectly fine right now._

_He jumped at me, and I rolled away. He grabbed out a gun and quickly shot me at me. My wings quickly shielded my body, but a sharp pain went through them. I cried in pain, my wing drooping._

_The Eraser jumped again, tackling me to the ground. It wasn't much of a fight, since I had a bullet in my wing. He easily pinned me down, not before punching me with his razor sharp claws a few times._

_Then he wrapped his fingers around my neck, strangling me. I gasped and clawed at his fingers, he chuckled, "You know, you got a large bounty on your head. 'Bring 'er back alive' they said," he laughs maniacally. "I guess I'll be draggin' your dead-ass back to base!"_

_I tried to shake him off, only to have him squeeze tighter. My chest heaved with panic and the alley began to stain with darkness until finally, everything was a dark black._

_It took me a few seconds to realize the horrifying truth._

_I was_ **dead**.

**•--•/•••/-•--/-•-•/••••/••/-•-•**

Doctor's POV

"She's choking herself!" Rory called watching the dark-skinned girl who was wrapping her hands around her neck and gagging. 

His eyes widened, "Her hands, strap her hands down," he ordered. Amy and Rory pried her fingers away from her throat and strapped them against the bed with the leather bonds. He ran a hand through his hair, and stared at the panicked girl, who was struggling against its hold.

"I thought you 'chose your friends with great care'," Rory muttered.

"She fell out of a tree and had wings on her back!" He argued, "What else was I supposed to do?!" She screamed again and everyone jumped. 

After a few minutes of silence, her body went slack. They could only assume that she had 'died'.

**-••/••/•/-••**

Hazel's POV

 _Where was I?_ I thought automatically as my mind was brought back to consciousness. The familiar scent of sterile air flooded my nostrils, making me cringe. I tried to sit up, only to have something strong hold my arms back down. 

Not a second later, fear and panic filled my body and I began to hyperventilate, pulling as hard as I could against the leather bonds on my arms, legs and chest. "Hazel, calm down!" A male voice said. I didn't care to distinguish whose  since I was too busy trying to get my hands out of the bonds.

"Take the straps off!" He ordered. Some else moved towards me, to undo the leather straps, but I growled at them when they came too close. 

The only thing running through my head was how did the School find me again? T _hey promised that they weren't with them! They-They promised that they weren't! How? Was I too naïve, again? Did I misjudge them?_

"Hazel, please, we aren't going to hurt you," a female voice said. I looked up to see a redheaded woman, Amy, staring at me with bright green eyes concernedly. Beside her was a male. He was blonde and had blue eyes, Rory. My eyes widened when I realized that he had the distinct scent of a Whitecoat. 

My breathing eradicated and I pulled harder. I heard the straps, surprisingly, rip slightly in protest. "Hazel, listen to us, you're perfectly safe," the first man, who had floppy brown hair and dull green eyes assured. 

I shook my head and heard the strap rip again, enough for me to wriggle my hands out. As soon as they were out, I pushed the floppy haired man -- the Doctor -- away, and undid the straps on my chest and feet. 

I jumped up and off the bed, but immediately regretted it because my head throbbed with pain, causing me to stagger backwards, holding my head firmly. 

The Doctor came beside me, whispering soothing things in my ear, but I quickly pushed him away, and falling back on the bed parallel to the other one. My chest began to heave with panic once again. There were three of them and only one of me, not to mention god-knows-how many that could be possibly coming. I crouched down on the bed, my hand trailing to my waist, ready to arm myself if need be.

"Hazel, calm down," the Doctor said again, holding his hands up protectively. "It's okay, you're in the TARDIS." 

"Don't come near me!" I shouted, moving away from the approaching man. 

"I won't, I won't," he promised. "Just let me talk: We're not going to hurt you. We just needed to make sure you didn't choke yourself."

I shook my head, "What do you want with me?! I thought you said you weren't working with the School! You lied!"

"I'm not lying, I swear on my hearts. Just let me help you," my eyes widened, _he sounded just like them..._

**•-•-•-•-•**

_I was strapped down on the silver table, thrashing around hopelessly. One of the Whitecoats walked over, a strong hint of bloodlust radiated off him. "Now, now, Subject 63a," he cooed, caressing my cheek and I flinched to the touch. "I'm going to fix you; make you much better than you were before... Just let me help you..."_

**•-•-•-•-•**

My breathing intensifies and I moved away from him, shaking my head as I went. "No. No! Stay back!"

"Hazel please," he begged but I looked at him, my wide, brown eyes flooded with terror. 

"Don't come any closer!" I shouted, glancing at the only exit I could identify, which was the door. 

The Doctor took another step, "Hazel I--"

"Don't!" I yelled, my eyes blazing yellow, "Not another step!"

"Hazel, I'm sorry," was all he said and he dove his hand in his pocket, pulling out his sonic. Before I could do anything, he held it in the air, a loud whirring sound filled my ears painfully. 

I gripped my ears trying to block the sound, but it didn't work. A scream rose in my throat, but before I could release it, the Doctor tapped my forehead and everything when black.

**•-•-•-•-•**

"Hey, hey, she's waking up," I heard a male voice say, as my eyes slowly opened. I was in my bedroom on the TARDIS. Amy, Rory, and the Doctor sat beside my bed. By the way their chairs were positioned, they were probably talking beforehand.

"What's going on?" I asked, sitting up. My neck felt sore, and I rubbed it. I glanced at each of them, they all had worried faces, which made me frown, "What? Is there something on my face?" I joked lightly.

"You were in a psychic-pollen induced hallucination," the Doctor finally said. "You nearly choked yourself to death, and then you attacked us."

My smile fell, and I ruffled my eyebrows, "Oh. Sorry?"

"Doesn't matter now," Amy sighed. "How're you feelin'?"

"Fine, I guess. Bit of a headache, but it's going away. My neck's a bit sore to... And..." I rolled my shoulders, making my wings pop and crack, "... There. All's good. No harm, no foul."

"Nice to know," the Doctor nodded. "What were you dreaming about?" 

I blinked at him, "Uhm, it's... Complicated..." I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. "Besides, I thought that you three were going to Rio or something."

"We were, after you woke up," Amy answered. "Wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Well, I'm good now, so let's go to Rio," I grinned, but the Doctor frowned at me. 

"You still lost a lot of blood earlier. You shouldn't even get up."

"Then give me some orange juice," I rolled my eyes. "I'll be fine."

He still gave me a skeptic look, "We'll eat. You've been asleep for a few hours, so you must be hungry. Then, we can go."

"Fine with me," I nodded, moving to get out of the bed and standing up. I suddenly felt a wave of vertigo, making me stumble, my wings flapping frantically as a reflex to keep me up. "Woah..." I murmured, steadying myself.

"You okay?" The Doctor asked, coming to my side, a worries expression splayed on his features.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine," I forced a laugh. "Felt a little wobbly for a second, sorry." I smiled at him and clapped my hand, "So! Let's go eat!"

**•-•-•-•-•**

The Doctor made a homemade pizzas, much to my surprise, seeing I had no clue he could cook(he honestly looked like one of those 'Take-out' guys.) At first we were supposed to one, but I needed more calories than just one pizza, so I pretty much devoured the extra one he made. 

"So, Rio," I said, finishing off the last slice. "What do you plan on doing?"

"You... Just ate two whole pizzas..." Rory awed, either looking disgusted or impressed.

"I'm part _bird_ ," I rolled my eyes. "It would be unhealthy to eat just _one_ pizza. So, Rio?"

"Right!" The Doctor grinned, "The water's awesome and everything's really pretty and gorgeous. It's actually one of the places I most favor on earth."

"Sounds like you've been there a few times," I hummed, rubbing my greasy hands on my pants. Actually, I heard that they were passing through South America to go to Antarctica a few times. It had only been rumors, I wasn't so sure it was true, so I never checked it out. I made a mental note to talk to the locals to see if anyone had seen any large flying bird kids lately.

"Hazel?" Someone said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"I asked if you were ready," the Doctor repeated.

"Oh, yeah. Let me get dressed first." I pushed myself off the chair. "Give me ten minutes. I'll meet you in the console room." With that, I quickly exited the kitchen and headed for my bedroom.


	8. chapter eight

Chapter 8:

Hazel's POV

"Behold, Rio!" The Doctor exclaimed, throwing open the TARDIS doors and revealed a graveyard.

I snickered, "This does not look like Rio."

"Nah," Amy agreed.

"Not really getting the sunshine carnival vibe," Rory noted, looking around.

We stepped out of the TARDIS and unto the grass. And suddenly, I stopped, feeling my sneakers on the strange ground. "No? Ooo, feel that, though. What's that?" The Doctor said, and began to jump up and down, "Ground feels strange. Just me. Wait. That's weird." _So he noticed it too?_

"What's weird?" Rory asked curiously, not understanding the what he was talking about.

"Doctor, stop trying to distract us. We're in the wrong place. Doctor, it's freezing and I've dressed for Rio," I nodded, it had been a little chilly. Amy and Rory wore thin clothes, while I wore my usual sweatshirt. I had to wear it to hide my wings though, but even with it I still felt kinda cold.

"We are not stopping here. Doctor," she continued with a small whine. "You listening to me? It's a graveyard. You promised me a beach."

"Blue grass," he finally said, recognizing the grass, and I rose and eyebrow. "Patches of it all around the graveyard. So, Earth, 2020-ish, ten years in your future, wrong continent for Rio, I'll admit, but it's not a massive overshoot."

I scoffed, "Yeah, because a entire continent, a opposite hemisphere and a few extra years is definitely the same as Rio." I paused for a second, "Wait did you say bluegrass? I thought that only grew in parts of the southern areas of the U.S."

"Not very popular here, and you try flying a TARDIS see how close you get!" He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, childishly.

"Why are those two people waving at us?" Amy asked, pointing to the other side of the valley where there were indeed two people, waving welcomingly at us.

My eyes fractioned and I used my raptor vision to get a closer look, "What the hell...?"

"What is it?" Rory frowned at me.

"It's you two," I frowned, looking at the man here, and then at the man there. "How can you both be here at the same time? Wouldn't that, like, break the universe or something?"

"Doesn't work like that," the Doctor said, brandishing a pair of binoculars out of his pocket. "Ten years in your future. Come to relive past glories, I'd imagine. Humans, you're so nostalgic."

"We're still together in ten years?" Amy said. I nearly laughed at how surprised the sounded.

"No need to sound so surprised," Rory huffed indigently.

"Hey, let's go and talk to them," Amy suggested. "We can say hi to future us. How cool is that?"

"I don't think you're supposed to do that," I frowned, glancing back at the duplicates.

"Why not?"

"These things get complicated very quickly," the Doctor explained, "And-- oh look!" He pointed to a big, gated off, building that held some kind of drill inside, from what I could see, at least. "Big mining thing. Oh, I love a big mining thing. See, way better than Rio. Rio doesn't have a big mining thing."

"We're not going to have a look, are we?" Amy rolled her eyes.

"Let's go and have a look. Come on, you three, let's see what they're doing," he grinned and began to walk, with me following close behind.

Amy and Rory stayed for a few minutes, talking to themselves before finally, Amy came with us, without Rory. "Where's Rory?" I asked curiously although I really couldn't care less about him, seeing he was a Whitecoat.

"Went to go put my engagement ring back in the TARDIS " she shrugged. "Didn't want me losing it."

I hummed in response as we soon closed in on the metal gates. " _'Restricted access. No unauthorized personnel'_ ," the Doctor read aloud.

"That's nice to know," I laughed, and simply touched the metal lock, and it snapped open, "Shall we?"

"I was going to do that..." The Doctor muttered, but followed me.

"That's breaking and entering!" Amy said, disapprovingly, but followed anyway.

"Meh, don't care," I shrugged and walking across the sharp, gravelly grounds. "Besides, I didn't break it. I simply unlocked a cheap lock."

"You're sure Rory'll catch us up?" The Doctor asked as we neared the building. "Still weird. Ground doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean by 'ground doesn't feel right'?" Amy inquired.

"I agree," I said, making the Doctor beam. "It seems different. Can't really explain it though."

We entered a large tunnel, which was closer to the mining scene, the Doctor still curious about the different soiling. "What about now? Can you feel it now?" He asked Amy. "Hazel can feel it."

"Hazel's part bird," Amy rolled her eyes. "She can probably just... Sense it or something. No offense."

"None taken," I shrugged, _that was probably the case anyway._

"Honestly, I've got no idea what you're on about," she continued.

"The ground doesn't feel like it should," the Doctor argued.

"It's ten years in the future," Any reasoned. "Maybe how this ground feels is how it always feels."

"Good thought, but no, it doesn't," he paused in his steps. "Hear that, drill in start-up mode. After waves of a recent seismological shift and blue grass." He went to the ground and picked up one of the blue grass leaves and consumed it.

"Oh, please," Amy gagged. "Have you always been this disgusting?"

"Actually, blue grass is a edible. At least in America, that is," I said as we stopped by an partially open metal door.

"What's in here?" The Doctor asked curiously, peeking through, "Hello?"

"Who are you?" A unfamiliar woman's voice said, as we entered the room, which was a very large and held a lot of equipment including drills and other electronic devices. "What're you doing here? And what're you wearing?" She looked at Amy, judging her by the flashy Rio clothing she wore.

The woman was quite short, probably no taller than 5'1". She wore a clean black blazer with a striped shirt underneath. She had short, shoulder length hair that held out a few messy strands of hair loose, and had tanned, light skin. Overall, she looked very professional, I assume she was the the manager judging how she was not wearing any clothes someone would do manual labor in.

"I dressed for Rio," Amy grumbled, bitterly.

"Ministry of Drills, Earth and Science," the Doctor answered, ignoring Amy's comment, and flashed a black leather wallet, which I assume held some sort of fake I.D., at her. "New Ministry, quite big, just merged. It's lot of responsibility on our shoulders. Don't like to talk about it. What are you doing?"

"None of your business," the woman said, making a face, and turning back to her laptop-like machine that held odd, unrecognizable reading on, at which I did not -- and could not -- understand.

"Where are you getting these readings from?" The Doctor asked casually, looking at the machine.

"Under the soil," she replied, vaguely. Then I heard footsteps echoing down the hall, and sharply turned to see a new man enter the room.

"The drill's up and running again " he announced, and noticed the three of us. "What's going on? Who are these people?"

"Amy, Hazel, the Doctor," Amy answered, pointing to us with each introduction. "We're not staying, are we, Doctor?"

"Why's there a big patch of earth in the middle of your floor?" The Doctor asked curiously, glancing at the patch of unearthed, well, earth.

As they talk, I go to squat down near one of the holes. _This really doesn't feel... Right. Usually, dirt is harder and still, which makes it easier to spring off of the ground when I go flying, but this is weird. It feels like it's moving. I would say it was because of the drills, but none of them are on right now, so it can't be that. This dirt's kind of soft, but mot like the mushy soft. It was like a... Weird... Soft..._

I placed my hand over the earth, not exactly touching it, and notice steam producing from the ground. I open my mouth to say something when suddenly the ground begins to rumble. My eyes widen, "Earthquake?" I asked, but something tells me it's much more than just that.

"What's going on?" The unnamed man asked.

"Doubt it, because it's only happening under this room," The Doctor said, just as two more hole opened up near me.

I quickly moved a few steps back. "It knows we're here. It's attacking. The ground's attacking us," the Doctor said, as if he couldn't believe his own words.

"No, no that's not possible," the woman gasped, staring at the ground along with us.

"Under the circumstances, I'd suggest, run!" The Doctor said, and quickly, we ran away from the opening ground holes.

The flooring seemed to open up and crack and a hole appears under the man's foot, " _TONY!_ " The lady shouted, as he began to sink into the ground.

I gritted my teeth and went to him, pulling on his chest and slowly taking him out of the hole, but suddenly, a hole appeared under my foot, making me slip and nearly fall back. My eyes widened and I felt my wings move frantically, to keep my body up, but they were confined by my shirt so it was no use.

"Hazel!" Amy shouted, grabbing at the very end of my shirt to keep me up, but a hole was quickly forming under her feet as well.

Using the last of my energy, I dug my feet into the ground and pushed Amy on the chest, making her stumble back, and I fell into the hole behind me. I didn't even have the chance to shout as I sunk quickly into the earth and everything went black.

**•-•-•-•-•**

Doctor's POV

"Hazel!" The Doctor shouted, but he was to late. Her fingers sunk into the ground and she was completely eaten by the earth.

"Doctor, help!" Amy cried, and he turned to the woman frantically, as she sunk into the ground too, just like the young girl. "It's pulling me down, Doctor, help me. Something's got me."

"Stay away from it," he said, going over to the woman, who was about down to her ankles by now.

"Doctor, the ground's got my legs."

"I've got you," he assured, taking her arms, trying to pull her, but she was too far in. It be nearly impossible to pull her out now.

But he wouldn't dare admit that.

"Don't let go," the woman gasped.

"Never," he promised.

"Doctor, what is it and why is it doing this?" Amy asked, tears forming in her eyes. "Is-is Hazel--"

"Don't," he cut her off. It all went by so quickly, he didn't want to think about the young girl, not went Any was about to go down just like she did. He needed to get his priorities straight. He needed to save Amy, "Stay calm. Keep hold of my hand. Don't let go," he turned to the two adults behind him, "Your drill, shut it down. Go. Now!"

"Can you get me out?" Amy asked. She was nearly down to her shoulders now, and the singular arm that he held onto.

"Amy, try and stay calm," he said, as the two adults left the store room. "If you struggle, it'll make things worse. Keep hold of my hand. I'm not going to let you go."

"Doctor, it's pulling me down. Something's pulling me."

"Stay calm," he said again. "Now, hold on till they can just shut down the drill."

"I can't hold on!" She took a few, shaky breathes. She was nearly just a head now. "What's pulling me? What is under the earth? I don't want to suffocate under there."

"Amy, concentrate. Don't you give up," he pleaded with the woman. He didn't want to lose her. Not now, not so soon! He had so much he wanted to show her! It wasn't fair! This wasn't fair!!

"Tell Rory--" she wasn't able to finish her sentence because her head disappeared into the ground as well.

"No. Amy! Amy, no!" He shouted at the dirt that she disappeared under. Panic began to set in when she didn't just appear above the surface again -- because when has he ever been that easy. " _No! No! No! No! No. No! No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No._ " He pointed his sonic screwdriver at the ground in both places where they disappeared, but it didn't work.

Nasreen and Tony entered the room, "Where is she?" The woman asked, as if she dreaded the answer herself.

"She's gone. They're gone. The ground... Took them."

**•-•-•-•-•**

Hazel's POV

"This one is very interesting... I've never seen a human such like this," a male voice stated as I slowly opened my eyes, revealing a man, with green scales on his face and body, like a lizard, except more human-y. My eyes widened when I saw the white lab coat draped over his person.

"Oh, it seems that she's has awaken," he said, leaning over to me. My breathing quickened as I pulled against the metal bonds on my arms. "She's showing signs of struggle," he noted, writing something else down on his clipboard.

A inhuman growl rolled out of my throat as I glared at him, "It seems that the winged female also has more animalistic characteristics than the other one," he said, coming closer with the scalpel.

I quickly looked down, to the metal bonds, using whatever energy I had to bend it, but it didn't budge. "Commencing Decontamination," the Whitecoat-Lizard announced, and picked a needle up off the table that held medical supplies and without warning shoved it into my neck.

I felt the effects of what I'm guessing is a anesthetic for a few seconds before it disappeared and a smirk fell on my face. "Try again, you ugly lizard asshole," I spat at the man-lizard-thing.

"The winged female is trying to insult me in her language," he nodded to himself, and turned back to the desk. "I have suspected this; back in the earlier years, winged animals would need a stronger solution in order for it to go unconscious. I have prepared one that would be enough to take out a large pterodactyl. I can only assume it will work on the winged female as well." He brought out a much larger needle, and my eyes widened, and as swiftly as he did the first, he plunged it into my neck.

I grimaced and tried to move away, but it didn't work. I heard the lizard man say, "Now, we shall test out her wings," before everything went black.

**•-•-•-•-•**

3rd POV

"What about her?" Mo asked, turning to the young girl a few cells over who was also locked away. Amy turned around, and for the first time since she had woken up, she saw Hazel.

It had astounded her how she even missed the eighteen-foot wings that came from her back and were sprawled out and locked on a table. Her arms and feet were locked on too, but she could see a bit of red underneath them, so she must've been struggling as well.

"Hazel!" Amy exclaimed, going over to the girl.

"Don't!" Mo warned, trying to pull her away. His eyes fixed on her large, unnatural wings. "What if-- what if she's alien too?" He was obviously worried, and didn't want to accidently save a alien girl who would just call back the lizard doctor who had dissected him earlier.

Amy, on the other hand pulled her arm away and went to the unconscious girl, "She's my friend," she argued, undoing the metal locks on her wings first, and then arms and legs. "I know her. She's no alien."

"Are you mental!?" Mo rose his voice slightly, "She has wings for goodness sake!"

"It's a long story," was Amy's reply as she helped the girl up. After dating a nurse, she was able to pick up a few tricks, and first checked to see if she had a pulse, which she did, thankfully. "She alive. Let's get her out of here..."

Amy then tried to pick up the girl. The girl herself was very light -- uncanny to her, since she has seen how much the girl eats -- but her wings were too heavy. She couldn't hold them and pick up the girl at the same time. "Little help?" She asked the man, who after a few reluctant seconds went by, begrudgingly helped the woman as well. Together, they were able to pull her off the table and steady her upright.

"You look strong enough," Amy said, giving the man a once over, "Can you piggy-back her?"

"Piggy-back a girl with wings!?" He repeated. He didn't know whether to be surprised that they were actually going to take this girl -- who suspiciously had wings -- with them, or the fact that he had actually said _'piggy-back a girl with wings'_.

"Yes, now can you do it? Before Lizard-man gets back," Amy said with a small huff.

The man sucked his teeth, but pulled the girl unto his back and began to walk down out the room with the redheaded Scottish woman.

As they begin to walk, Mo hunched over, trying to readjust the winged girl and suddenly, her wings begin to flap viciously, but her eyes do not open. Unfortunately for Mo, they are also hitting him in the face, "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Make her stop! Make her stop!!"

Amy saw this and pulled a face, and went to hold onto her wings, to keep them from moving anymore, "Hazel, you've got to stop flapping!" She said to the girl, who seemed slightly distressed. She moaned but her wings, slowed to a stop, stiffly hanging off of her back.

"What was that?" He demanded, "Why was she hitting me!?"

"Don't know. Sure the Doctor would though. C'mon, we need to keep walking." And with that, they continued their trek through the underground layer.

About ten minutes after discovering Mo's son, who had also been trapped down there too, Hazel began to stir. She moaned again, and bleary opened her eyes. Amy turned to her, "Hazel? Are you okay?"

"... _Sore_..." She murmured, her eyes trailing down to her wing. "Hel... Lleooo...?" She looked up her eyes unfocused, "A... Amy...?"

"Hazel, are you feeling alright?" She asked and suddenly, Hazel gasped.

"No! Where... I...?" She looked around, "Why am I here...? I'm supposed... Supposed to be..."

Mo and Amy exchanged looks, "Hey, Hazel sweetie," Amy said with a small smile. "Don't stress yourself. You're probably just a bit loopey, but--"

"My feathers!!" She suddenly shouted, looking at her wings, "Look! They're-They're there! They're shiny-- no, not shiny," her face scrunched up in disgust. "They're dirty, _EW!_ Filthy wing-y feathers and-- _AAAH!_ " She screamed, her wings flapping suddenly, "Falling! I'm falling! Help me!!" Tears sprung in her eyes, and she tried to steady herself and push off Mo who was holding her.

Amy quickly pried the girl off the mans back, and steadily on her feet. "You saved me!" She beamed, "Thank you!"

Amy looked away, trying to suppress a laugh. It the situation wasn't so serious, she'd be on the ground laughing hysterically at this point. Instead she forced a serious expression, "Okay, Hazel, we're going to walk now, okay? Can you walk?"

She nodded eagerly, and began to walk, but stumbled over her own feet and once again, was frantically flapping her wings. She accidentally hit Amy in the back, making her go flying forward and fall on her stomach painfully. "This is going to take a while..." Amy muttered getting back up.

**•-•-•-•-•**

It was obvious that Hazel was going to stay loopy for a while, so the best that they could do was to get her to quiet down after they had found the Doctor. Luckily, her happy-go-lucky spree had finished and she was sleeping for a while now, leaning against the wall where they stood. "We can't take her with us," Mo said, after they had finished looking down from the balcony that the Doctor was. "She'll make too much noise. And she's still way to drugged up to do anything."

"But, we can't leave her here," Amy argued, looking at the girl, who looked rather peaceful as she slept. "If someone finds her, she'll be dissected again!"

"My wings..." She murmured, and the two of them turned to look at the young girl, who had waken up again. She was looking down at her wing, noticing that there were a several patches that had been unceremoniously plucked off, showing dark patches of skin.

"I'm missing... Where's my feathers...? What happened to my feathers..." She murmured, touching the patch, and gritting her teeth in pain. "Ow... It hurts..."

Mo leaned over to Amy, "What happened to her feathers?" He asked the woman in a whisper-tone, who simply shrugged, knowing just as much as he did.

"Ow... They hurt..." She flexed her wing, "We need to find them... They're missing..."

"We-- I don't know if we can find them, Ha--"

"I can heal it!" She exclaimed, loudly, "We need to--" before she could finish her second, Amy covered her mouth with her hand.

"You can't talk to loudly," Amy hissed. "Or else we'll all get in trouble, okay?" She slowly nodded, "Good. I'm going to release my hand now, and you cannot talk anymore, got it?" Another nod, and she slowly lifted her hand, and Hazel didn't make a sound.

"Well, now she's quiet..." Amy sighed as Hazel sat there, swaying back and forth slightly, until she finally brought her hand to her feathers and began to rub them one at a time.

"We need a plan," Mo said, tearing his eyes away from the winged girl.

"I have a plan," she replied, looking around. "Here's what we're going to do..."

**•-•-•-•-•**

"You're not authorized to do this," Malohkeh, the Silurian scientist, reminded the woman who had a weapon pointed at the Doctor and Nasreen.

Restac gave Malohkeh a short glare, "I am authorized to protect the safety of our species while they sleep," she reminded him, slight arrogance shown in her voice.

"Oh, lovely place," The Doctor complimented, looking around the room. There were two large pillars and a long table with bench seats running down the center of the room everything was white or gold and shiny. It had obviously shown itself as a very important room that probably would hold political affairs with the Silurian people. "Very gleaming."

"This is our court and our place of execution," Restac told him.

"Let them go," A female voice said, making everyone turn around to see Amy, holding a weapon that was pointed at Restac. Mo was beside her, holding a identical weapon, pointed at the scientist.

"Amy Pond. There's a girl to rely on," the Doctor grinned, although he eyed the weapons carefully. "Where's Hazel? Have you found her?"

"You're covered both ways, so don't try anything clever, buster," Amy said to the two, not answering the Doctor's last question.

"Mo," Nasreen said, looking at the man, who's gun was trembling ever-so slightly.

"Now let them go, or I shoot," Amy warned, but Restac took a step toward her, and she pointed the gun at her head. "I'm warning you," She said, but was easily disarmed, and pushed away.

"Don't you touch her!" The Doctor shouted at the woman, but she just turned to Mo, who was pale in the face and ready to run.

"And you," She disarmed him as easily as she did Mo.

"All right, Restac, you've made your point," Malohkeh narrowed his eyes carefully at the woman, who was smirking triumphantly.

"Where's Hazel!?" The Doctor asked Amy, who was just about to answer when a loud boom filled the room.

Everyone turned to the source of the sound, which was across the room, where Hazel stood, her dark brown and black gleaming wings at their full length and her eyes narrowed to slits. She was glaring heavily at Malohkeh, "You have sometime of mines. I would like them back."

"Wha-- are-are those wings!?" Nasreen gasped. "She has _WINGS!?!_ "

"Stand down, winged-ape," Restac glared at her, who pressed her lips in a thin line.

"Let's talk," she suggested, walking slowly towards the woman. "I was just kidnapped by dirt, got unwillingly high off of pterodactyl tranquilizer, and very vital feathers for flying plucked. I am not in the best mood right now, so I suggest you'd give me back my goddamn feathers."

"Or what?" Restac challenged.

She rose her eyebrows and shrugged, "Like I said, not in the best mood. And, I'm guessing you'd probably like your head still attached to your neck."

"What are you going to do that will--" she wasn't able to finish because in a swift movement, Hazel had hit her in the head with her right wing making her go flying!

Restac hit the white pillar with a rough thud and Hazel glared down at her. "I've killed wolf mutants taller than you that would make you look like a twig," she told the woman, looking down at her. "Now, I'm saying this one more time: _Give. Me. My. Damn. Feathers._ "

Restac looked up at her, a smirk tugging at the end of her lips, "It seems I have found a formidable fighting opponent. Very well then; we will have a duel. If I win, then--" she wasn't able to finish because she swiftly turned her back on the woman, going to where the Doctor and the others were.

"Are you trying to escape? Are you that much of a coward?" The woman laughed, mockingly. "I was right, you are a stupid, cowardly ape."

"Actually, I'm not stupid," she shrugged. "I'm still a bit ditzy off the dinosaur tranq. Doctor Phil here shot me with. It would be an unfair match up." She turned to Malohkeh, whose eyes fractioned at her. "My feathers, if you please."

"They are in the laboratory. I would be more than welcome to escort you," he suggested, but by the look she gave him, he knew that wasn't going to cut it.

"I can smell a few on your person," She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was serious when I said I needed those feathers. You took quite a few, and I don feel like molting in order to get them back."

"'Molting'?" The Doctor echoed curiously.

"Yes, but that's for anther time," She turned to the lizard scientist. "Feathers. Now."

"Ah, yes, right. Feathers," he nodded, reaching into his vest. Hazel's ears twitched in a fluid motion, she pushes Malohkeh to the ground, and moved to the side, a half second before a gun went off, hitting the stone wall on the opposite side of the room.

She turned around and in a half second tackled Restac to the ground before she could reload the gun and shoot again. Wrestling the hefty gun out of her arms she flung it across the room, far out of range. Hazel turned back to Restac, her wings stiffly pressed to her back, but before she could do anything, Malohkeh scrambled back onto his feet and stabbed another pterodactyl tranquilizer into her neck.

Her body went stiff, and she pushed away from the woman, struggling to stand back up. As the tranquilizer coursed through her body, she began to shake violently until her knees finally gave out and she fainted, face first on the spot.

"HAZEL!" Amy and the Doctor shouted at the unconscious girl. Amy, being the only mobile one went to the girl immediately.

"What did you give her!?" Amy shouted, trying to wake the girl up, but she was out cold.

Restac snatched the empty needle from Malohkeh's hands, reading the label aloud, "Pterodactyl tranquilizer. Huh, fit for a _beast_ its size."

Amy shot a glare at the woman, but but her tongue to keep her from retorting a snarky comment back. Right now, she would need to help the girl. So, she dragged her over to where the Doctor, Mo, and Nasreen were, glaring at the two aliens the whole time.

"Is she breathing?" The Doctor asked worryingly as she laid the girl on the long table.

"I-I think so..." Amy said, but anyone could hear the disbelief in her voice. She went to check for a pulse, which, luckily, was there, but unfortunately very faint. "She has a pulse."

"That's good," he nodded, "Very good. Too much tranquilizer could kill anyone."

"Now that that is out of the picture," Restac turned to Malohkeh. "This is now a military tribunal. Go back to your laboratory, Malohkeh."

Malohkeh's eyes glanced at Hazel's unconscious body and were filled with regret, "This isn't the way," he said, and they hissed at each other.

Restac's eyes narrowed, "Prepare them for execution," she ordered and walked off. A few soldiers came in and began to shackle them to the large pillars, Hazel was placed by the Doctor's feet, sitting opposed to standing. He would glance down at her every now and then, making note of every time her wing so much as twitches.

"Okay, sorry. As rescues go, didn't live up to its potential," Amy apologized sheepishly.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said, although his hearts stung a bit when knowing that Hazel wasn't.

"Me too," she gave a small, weary laugh. "Lizard men, though."

"Homo Reptilia," he corrected, "They occupied the planet before humans. Now they want it back."

"After they've wiped out the human race," Nasreen piped up, making the Doctor grimace slightly.

"Right. Preferred it when I didn't know, to be honest," Amy shrugged, trying to to show the worried look that was breaking onto her face.

"Why are they waiting?" Nasreen asked, fear shaking her voice. "What do you think they're going to do with us?" When neither one of them answered, she began to talk again, "And why does the girl have wings anyway? I don't suppose she sprouted them out her back, did she?"

"I can't answer that," the Doctor said, trying not to chuckle at the thought of wings quite literally popping out of her back. He then frowned, thinking that would actually, probably really hurt.

She groaned again, making the Doctor glance down at her. He noticed how oddly her wings were folded against her back -- it was probably really uncomfortable, actually. He silently wished he could adjust her so she wouldn't be lying like that, but his hands were quite literally tied, so the most he could do is just stare at her and hope that it wouldn't hurt her when she woke up.

If, he corrected, if she woke up. She was shot with pterodactyl tranquilizer. Twice. she shouldn't even be alive after the first one, to be honest. He was 90% sure that dinosaur tranquilizer would be really strong, so two shots of it would definitely be anything but healthy.

"Doctor?" Amy's voice said, bringing the Doctor out of his thoughts. The woman's face was serious, like a soldier ready to be given orders, and she was. Amy knew there were innocent people here that didn't deserve to be killed, not to mention Mo's son. She was determined to get the young boy out of here alive and unharmed.

Of course, she couldn't do it alone, which was why she turned to the Doctor. He would know what to do, he always does. "What's the plan, Doc?" She asked, a small smile on her face. The Doctor knew automatically that she as was trying to get rid of any tension or at least get his mind off Hazel, which he respected her for doing.

"I have a plan," he exclaimed to the woman, but he sounded like he did not. "First... We're going to get out of here without starting a war. Then, we'll help Hazel and make sure she's okay, and then, we'll go. See? Plan!"

"Okay, and how do you plan on getting out of here?" She asked, half hoping that he'd actually have a plan in the jumble of words he spout out off the top of his head.

"I'm... Getting there..." Amy groaned with an eyeroll.

"Yeah, thanks for that," she said, sarcasm mixing with her Scottish accent. "Such an elaborate plan you've got there."

"I'm still working on it," he huffed. He was going to get them out of there and he was going to get Hazel somewhere safe. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her, and that was a fact.

**•-•-•-•-•**

Hazel's POV

When I woke up, I felt like I was falling. I shot up, my wings flapping frantically to catch me before I hit the ground.

Someone beside me shouted in response, but I could only hear bits and pieces of it, "Haze... Zel... Flapping...! Stop flapping...!"

I began to talk, but it came out slurred and messy, "... Fa-falling... I'm falling..." I said in a whisper tone. I felt someone move me straight up and the feeling suddenly went away, and I relaxed my wings. _What's going on? Where-where am I?_

"You're not falling..." The same voice said, and I had began to hear full sentences now. "We're still with the Silurians."

_Silurians? What's the Silurians? I'm not supposed to be here, I'm supposed to be looking and--_

"Calm down," the voice, who I now distinguished as a man's, coaxed. "You're okay, you don't need to look for anyone."

 _But the Flock! I need to find the Flock!_ I tried to move but a wall of nausea hit me, making me stumble and fall back down.

"Hey, hey, easy," the man said, I felt him hold my body still and sit me back down. "We're not going to find anyone right now. You need to rest, you were shot with a very heavy tranquilizer, remember? You shouldn't be awake right now."

"The flock..." I groaned, trying to ignore the excessive pounding in my skull, "I need to find... To find... Flock... I need..." Before I could finish my words, a large wave of pain and shock went through my body, and my head rolled back, and everything went black.

**•-•-•-•-•**

I woke up again to a frantic voices, "Elliot, you and your dad keep your eyes on that screen," a man's voice ordered. "Let me know if we get company. Amy, keep reminding me how much time I haven't got." I felt someone place me against a wall, and I slowly opened my eyes to see multiple people running around.

"Okay. Um, er, twelve minutes till drill impact," Amy said, she was standing beside some sort of computer.

"Tony Mack," the Doctor turned to a old man, who is wheezing in a metal chair. "Sweaty forehead, dilated pupils. What are you hiding?" The man looked st the Doctor, I could see fear evident in his eyes as he pulled his shirt down, showing green veins that stretched all across his chest.

My eyes fractioned, _is that poison?_ "Tony, what happened?" A woman-who-I-didn't-know-the-name-of asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Alaya's sting," the old man said in his gravelly voice. "She said there's no cure," he turned to the Doctor, pain spread across his features. "I'm dying, aren't I?"

"You're not dying, you're mutating," he corrected. As they continued to talk, my eyes trailed down to my arm, _I can heal him. I should heal him..._

I stumbled to get up, but my hand slipped on something, making a tray of medical supplies fall to the ground, and all eyes turned to me. "Hazel? Hazel! Don't get up, you're still hurt!"

I glanced down at the scalpel on the ground and picked it up, "Hazel..." The Doctor eyed me carefully. "What do you think your--" before he could finish, I shakily slid the metal object against my forearm, making red blood trail down it.

The Doctor caught onto my plan and quickly stepped in front of me, "No! You're not going to heal him! You're too hurt, you'll kill yourself!"

"I need to... I need to help... I..." My eyes fluttered closed, and I began to sway dangerously, "No... I need to--"

I felt the Doctor pick me up and sit next in a chair, not before taking the scalpel out of my hands. "Rory, could you wrap up her arm?" He asked the man, who nodded and came over, a roll of bandage in his hand.

"Okay, lets get this wrapped up really quick," the man said, taking my arm, but I shook my head, moving away from him, my wings pressed flat to my back.

"No, I can help, let me help," I said, trying to get out of the chair, but he held me down. His hands were gentle but his grip was firm.

"We don't have time for this," Rory said and began to speedily wrap my arm up. I wasn't able to squirm away before he tied it tightly, "There. I'm done Doctor," he shouted to the tall bow-tied man.

"Ten minutes, Doctor," Amy announced, and the Doctor's lips pressed thin.

"But maybe it should be. So, here's a deal. Everybody listening," he said, and everyone gave him their attention. "Eldane, you activate shutdown. I'll amend the system, set your alarm for a thousand years time. A thousand years to sort the planet out. To be ready. Pass it on. As legend, or prophesy, or religion, but somehow make it known. This planet is to be shared."

"Yeah. I get you," a young boy nodded.

"Nine minutes, seven seconds," Amy said again.

"Yes. Fluid controls, my favorite," he rubbed his hands together. "Energy pulse. Timed, primed and set. Before we go, energy barricade. Need to cancel it out quickly."

"Fumigation pre-launching," another man said.

"There's not much time for us to get from here to the surface, Doctor," Rory reminded the man, who nodded.

"Ah ha, super-squeaky bum time," he laughed. "Get ready to run for your lives. Now."

"But the decontamination program on your friend hasn't started yet," the reptile-like man said, concerned for the old man who was dying.

"I can help him," I told them, "Just let me help--"

"No, I'm not risking you Hazel," the Doctor said, his voice lowering dangerously. "If you do that, you could kill yourself."

"I need to try--"

"It's alright, love," the man said, sending a soft, yet pained, smile my way. "You should go. Don't kill yourself over a old fella like me." He then turned to everyone else, "Well, go. All of you, go."

"No, we're not leaving you here," the woman said firmly, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "Let her--"

"No, Ambrose," the man said firmly, leaving nk room for argument.

"Eight minutes ten seconds," Amy said.

The old man turned to the young child. "Now you look after your mum. You mustn't blame her. She only did what she thought was right," he said, and the boy nodded.

The boy sniffed, "I'm not going to see you again, am I?" He asked, choking back tears.

"I'll be here, always," he told the young boy with a kind smile. "I love you, boy. You be sure he gets home safe."

"This is my fault," the woman gasped tears falling freely.

"No, I can't go back up there. I'd be a freak show. The technology down here's my only hope," he sighed but shoed them off, "Go now. Hurry!"

"I love you, Dad," the woman whispered before she was taken by the shoulders, and pulled away.

"Go, go!"

"Rory, take Hazel and be careful. Don't tilt her or she'll try to fly away," he warned the redhead. "We'll be right behind you."

Rory nodded, pulling me on his back, and began to leave the room, "Okay Hazel, you cannot move your wings, got it?"

I hummed in response, keeping my wings pressed to my back, although they flinched whenever I suddenly felt like I was falling again. There was a loud system talking about toxic-gas or something and flashing lights. I closed my eyes, trying to block it out, but my head was pounding and I involuntarily fell back asleep.

**•-•-•-•-•**

I groggily opened my eyes to a steady beeping noise and a alcohol-smelling room. I blinked rubbing my eyes, _hospital?_ I looked around, _oh, it's the TARDIS... Not hospital... Not taken by the School._

Then, the door opened, revealing the Doctor, who was wearing a bright red... Cap? Whatever it is, it had a tinsel falling off the side, and a big grin was on his face. "Oh, goody, you're awake! I've made plans to go to this awesome galaxy racing where people race their spaceships! I've heard that it's really awesome and--"

"Doctor," I interrupted him, my eyes were on my wings, where there were large patches of feathers gone. Just... Gone. Panic was rising in my body as I checked the other one; they were gone! They gone!! "My feathers..." Was all I was able to say without completely screaming.

The Doctor's excited face froze and slowly turned into a regretful, sad one, "Hazel I--"

"You found them, right? You have them with you?"

When his mouth pressed into a thin line and he looked away, I assumed the worse, which brought tears to my eyes. "Please, please tell me you have them," I begged him, but he simply shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Hazel, I truly am," he sincerely apologized. "I wasn't able to get them, but you can molt, right? And have them grow back?"

"I don't want to..." I mumbled, trying to contain the fear in my voice.

His face lit up, "So you can!"

"You don't understand," I frowned at him. "I don't want to. I-I..." I trailed off, not wanting to finish.

"What's wrong? Can you not molt or something?"

"I can molt, but..." I ran a hand through my hair, "When... When I'm molting... I..." I paused, taking a deep breath, "I won't have any energy to do anything. I'd be completely vulnerable."

"We'll be here to protect you," the Doctor smiles comfortingly, but I didn't buy it.

"Doctor, I can't-- I don't want to do it... I--"

Then, the door opened again and Amy walked in, "What're you two knuckleheads up to?" She asked teasily.

"Trying to figure out how I can not molt..." I murmured. "Where's your bo--" before I could finish, the Doctor covered my mouth with his hand. My wings shot up at the action, and I hit him in the back, harshly, making him face-plant the blankets.

"Ow..." He groaned, rubbing his nose, which was bright red in pain. I rolled my eyes at him, and turned back to Amy.

"Anyway, I'm guessing you wouldn't happen to have my feathers, would you?" I asked, dejectingly.

"Oh, those things? I have them right here," she reached into her jacket and pulled out a large bag, filled with with brownish-black feathers. _My brownish-black feathers_.

I gasped and ran over to the woman, not caring that the needle to the IV needle tore out of my skin, making blood leak out. I jumped on the woman, hugging her as tight as I could, wings and all. "OH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!"

"Aack-- _Hazel!_ Can't... Breathe!" Amy gasped out and I let go, looking at her, a large smile on my face that didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon.

"Sorry. But, thank you. Thank you so much!"

"You're... Welcome...?" She laughed, as I took the bag from her, sitting down on the medical bed, staring at my feathers.

"Where did you find them?" The Doctor asked.

"They were in Lizard-man's laboratory. I thought you'd need them," she simply shrugged, but I was still smiling ear to ear.

"You-you actually got them..." I said in a hushed tone, before pulling her into a tight hug again, my wings covering both our bodies.

"You're welcome, Hazel," she said in a strained voice.

I let go and jumped off the bed, not noticing how fluffed up and high my wings were, "I'm gonna start putting them back in!" I exclaimed and ran out the room, leaving the two behind.


	9. chapter nine:

Chapter 9:

Hazel's POV

As I was beginning to start replacing the feathers, the Doctor came in the room, "Where's Rory?" I asked immediately, before he could say -- or do -- anything, "His scent's fainting; he's not on the TARDIS, so where is he?"

The Doctor sighed, "He was taken."

"By what?"

"By the crack in Amelia's bedroom wall," he answered, sitting down in one of the chairs, rubbing his forehead stressfully. "And the worst part is that she doesn't remember him, at all. So you can't tell her, she has to find out on her own."

"Oh..." Was all I said and went back to my work. I saw the Doctor look up.

"What are you doing over there?" He asked curiously, coming my way. On the table before me was each and every feather laid out in front of me, a knife, a thick towel, and a empty, clean jar. I took the knife and slowly slid it down my arm, and bled into the jar.

The Doctor's jaw dropped, "What the-- HAZEL! What did I say about knives!?!"

"Stop it," I hushed him, irritably. He pressed his lips into a thin line and watch silently. After it was half filled and my cut was already almost closed, I stopped. Then, I picked up a feather, dipping the end into the jar, and slowly and carefully stuck it back into my wing. I quickly stuffed the towel into my mouth and pushed it in securely, biting down on the towel.

Once it was done, I sighed and began to do another one, "Did that hurt?" He asked, concernly.

"A bit, yeah," I laughed. "A bunch of nerves in there. But, it's not as bad as getting them plucked, though."

"You've had your feather plucked?" He frowned, as I placed another in and biting down on the towel before answering him.

"Yeah, a few times," I sighed. "One time it was half my flight feathers... Then, there was a few tertials that were... Taken..." I cleared my throat and began another one.

The Doctor noticed my silence and moved to another question. "What's the Flock?" I dropped my feather, freezing completely still. He seemed to take particular interest in my reaction, "Hazel? What's the Flock?"

"... How'd you hear about that?" I said, my voice low, in almost a threatening tone.

"When they gave you the tranquilizer a second time, you kept saying, 'I need to find the Flock'. Are they your siblings or something?"

"The Flock is nobody," I said in a cold tone, picking up the feather and pressed it into the bone, not bothering with the towel. "It's nothing at all."

"Last time you said that, was after we were attacked by wolf-robots," he frowned, crossing his arms. "Who's the Flock?"

I didn't answer and began to put the last few feather back in, before turning to the other wing. "Hazel? Who's the Flock?" Now his voice was lower and he was very serious, but I still said nothing.

After several minutes of nothing, I finally sighed, "You will not tell another soul this, got it?"

"I cross my hearts," he smiled.

"I'm serious Doctor," I glared at him, making his smile drop. "If I find out that you told anyone, or anything, this information, I will not hesitate to track you down and kill you."

He rose and eyebrow, "It's that serious?"

"Very."

"Okay, fine. I swear that I won't."

I turned to him, searching his body, for any signs of deceit, but he was clear. "The Flock is a group of six kids, led by a girl named 'Maximum Ride'. She's, well, supposed to save the world, I think."

"You think?"

"A lot had happened, okay?" I sighed, "When I was back in the School, everyone would talk about them all the time. About how amazing she was and how she was the first to escape the school, then she'd find other facilities and let others out. I... Admire her, I guess."

I ran a hand through my hair and continued, "When I finally got out, I made it my main mission to find her, and join the Flock. But, I can't do that if _people_ tell _other people_ and the _other people_ kill them and _I_ can't find them!"

After that, the Doctor was silent, and I began to work on the feathers in my other wing, which only needed a few, luckily. Once it was finished, I looked down at the remaining feathers, which there were several of.

 _There must be some on the backside of my wings,_ I frowned to myself, wondering how I was going to get those back in. _I might as well leave it, I guess._

I folded my wing over my front and peered over it at it. Dabbing a finger into the jar o' blood, I rubbed it on any empty patches for it to heal, and did the same for my other ones.

"What are you going to do with the extras?" The Doctor asked curiously, making me turn to him.

"Hmm? Oh, I probably burn them or something," I shrugged. "Don't want to have anyone cloning me."

He chuckled, as if I had said a joke, but my face was perfectly serious. When he noticed I wasn't laughing, he blinked, "Wait, you're serious?"

"Uh, yeah," I nodded, rolling my shoulders, and flapping my wings, to get a bit of air through them. "I heard the School started cloning people a while back, mostly members of the Flock, since they were the most... Dangerous, I guess. Why? You want one?"

"Oh, no, I can't--" before he could finish, I took one of the loose feathers and handed it to him.

"Keep it," I said, a smirk dancing my lips. "It's going to go to waste anyway."

He stared at the feather, then at me, "Thank you..." He said, tucking it into the front pocket of his brown tweed jacket. "Well, I'm pretty much done. I'm going to get changed and shower real quick, if you don't mind."

"Not all all," he smiled and turned on his heel, "I'll see you in the console room." And then, he exited the room.

I chuckled to myself and began to go and take a well deserved shower.

**•-•-•-•-•**

"Do we really have to be here?" I asked the Doctor, once again, in a whisper-tone. I pulled my hoodie tighter over my head, taking note of every camera that we passed, yet trying to look as normal as possible at the same time.

I hardly listened to the older man talk about a man named Vincent Can Golf, or something because I was too busy trying to make sure I didn't touch anything to attract Erasers. "So this is one of the last paintings Van Gogh ever painted. Those final months of his life were probably the most astonishing artistic outpouring in history..." The man drawled about some other vibrant painting as we entered another area.

"Thanks for bringing me," Amy thanked the Doctor, who smiled proudly at her. I kind of zoned out their talking, and went back to looking around for anyone who might look -- or smell -- like an Eraser. About five minutes later, they were -- finally -- ready to go.

"Thank god," I exhaled, as we headed for the exit of the building.

"What's got your feathers ruffled?" Amy mused at her little pun as we finally found the entrance.

I gave her a small glare, "I don't do good in... Public areas..." I said, trailing off a bit. "And museums are horrible, if I get my face on even one of these cameras, then they will know I'm here."

"Who's they?" Amy asked, not quite understanding.

"You know... _Erasers..._ "

"Oh. Well, we're in Paris, right? Nothing can get you from all the way out here," she smirked but I didn't buy it.

"You'd be amazed by the amount of information you didn't know," I muttered as we walked down the street, coming up to the TARDIS.

"So, were going to...?" Amy trailed off, waiting for the Doctor to finish.

"June 1st, 1890," I answered, just before the Doctor could. He gave me an angry pout, but I rolled my eyes, "Oh, don't give me that, you were loud enough for me to hear you from Alaska."

He huffed, "Well, yes. We are going there..." He said and typed the date into the computer, and pulled the lever. After a few minutes of turbulence later, we finally landed, and I was more than ready to go.

"So, who is this Vincent Can Gold guy anyway?" I asked Amy, who gasped like I had said something blasphemous.

"It's Vincent Van Gogh, and he's only the greatest artist EVER!" She gushed and went on and on about a man who's art is so good, that people a good centuries later, still loves it. "I can't wait to meet him!!"

"Well, aren't you excessively happy over a dead guy," I chuckled as we exited the TARDIS, and into a dark, midnight alleyway.

The moonlight shown in front of us, making it a bit easily to see, but I could pretty much see clearly with my raptor vision anyway. "Right, so, here's the plan. We find Vincent and he leads us straight to the church and our nasty friend," the Doctor said walking out into the alley.

"Easy-peasy," Amy scoffed.

"Well, no. I suspect nothing will be easy with Mister Van Gogh. Now, he'll probably be in the local cafe. Sort of orange-y light, chairs and tables outside," he said, as we walked out of the alleyway.

I rose an eyebrow, "The guy at the art place said he committed suicide, right?" The Doctor nodded, "Well, then he's probably at a bar so something."

"Mister Van Gogh is a very, very famous artist," he rolled his eyes. "He would never be drinking at some pub."

"Okay, okay, whatever," I said, surrendering. "Can we just find the guy?"

"Like I was saying," he continued, "He'd probably be at a café, very vibrant."

"There's a café around the corner and down the road," I told them, making them both look at me. "I'm part bird. I can see vibrant lights easily." The both nodded and went the direction that I suggested.

When walked into the café and spotted the manager easily, since he was wearing a probably very expensive tailored suit. "Good evening," the Doctor greeted politely. "Does the name Vincent Van Gogh ring a bell?"

"Don't mention that man to me," the man groaned and disappeared into the back room.

We exchanged looks and found a waitress, holding a tray of drinks delicately. "'Cuse me Miss," I said to the lady, who turned around to me, a small smile on her face. "You wouldn't happen to know where Mister Vincent Van Gogh is, do you?" I asked sweetly.

She sighed at the name, "Unfortunately. He's drunk, he's mad and he never pays his bills."

"Good painter, though, eh?" The Doctor asked, making the woman scoff at the thought and go bust another table.

The sharp scent of paints pierce my nose and I turned to follow it. "Come on! Come on! One painting for one drink," A man across the café says. He has curly, wild red hair and a matching beard, and wore brownish-beige clothes. "That's not a bad deal."

"It wouldn't be a bad deal if the painting were any good," the manager from earlier insulted him. "I can't hang that up on my walls. It'd scare the customers half to death. It's bad enough having you in here in person, let alone looming over the customers day and night in a stupid hat. You pay money or you get out."

"I'll pay, if you like," the Doctor suggested, waltzing over.

The manager was taken back, as if he had never heard of someone offering to pay another man's drink. "What?"

"Well, if you like, I'll pay for the drink " he repeated, then a thoughtful expression fell on his face. "Or I'll pay for the painting and you can use the money to pay for the drink."

The man seemed to get suspicious now, "Exactly who are you?"

"Oh, I'm new in town," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Well, in that case, you don't know three things. One, I pay for my own drinks, thank you." The manager scoffed, and I got the idea that he usually doesn't pay for his drinks, ever. "Two, no one ever buys any of my paintings or they would be laughed out of town. So if you want to stay in town, I suggest you keep your cash to yourself. And three, your friend's cute, and the little one's adorable, but you should keep your big nose out of other people's business." He turned back to the manager, "Come on, just one more drink. I'll pay tomorrow."

_"No."_

I sighed, feeling very bored at the constant bickering, and tapped the manager's shoulder, making him turned to me. "How about you just get the poor man a drink? In fact, just bring a bottle of wine, and a few shots of whiskey, please," I said with a smile, my eyes a bright yellow.

His copper eyes fractioned for a half second, but he numbly nodded, "I-I'll come back with the drinks..." He said and stalked off.

A triumphant smirk found my face as I turned to the three others, "There. Problem solved," I grinned.

The Doctor looked at me, disapprovingly, "You didn't--"

"I so did."

"That's stealing!"

"Eh, using your resources."

" _Mind controlling_ people isn't a resource," he scolded in a hushed tone at the word 'mind control'.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes and headed inside the café, where I saw our drinks on the table. I nearly laughed at the two whiskey shot glasses, but sat down in front of them.

"That accent of yours," Vincent said to Amy, sitting across from us. "You from Holland like me?"

"Yes," the Doctor answered at the same time that Amy replied, "No."

They exchanged glances, "She means yes," he corrected her. "So, start again. Hello, I'm the Doctor, this is Hazel." I gave a small wave, down the two shots of whiskey easily. It burned my throat for a few seconds, but overall, I felt fine.

"I knew it!" Vincent exclaimed, making me raise an eyebrow, knew what?

"Sorry?"

"My brother's always sending doctors," the man said casually, as if he does this everyday. "But you won't be able to help."

"Oh, no, not that kind of doctor," The Doctor shook his head as I called the waitress over, asking for a few more shots. "That's incredible, don't you think, Amy? Hazel?"

"Absolutely. One of my favorites," she nodded convincingly.

"Yeah, what she said."

"One of my favorite whats?" Vincent asked skeptically. "You've never seen my work before."

Amy saw her mistake just at the waitress came back, which I smiled thankfully at her. "Ah yes. One of my favourite paintings that I've ever seen, generally," she corrected.

"Then you can't have seen many paintings, then," the man chuckled. "I know it's terrible. It's the best I can do. Your hair's orange." He turned to me and frowned, "Should your little friend here be drinking...?"

I snickered, "Oh yeah, I'm fine." I slung an arm around the Doctor's shoulder, since he was sitting next to me. "You're the best friend I ever had."

The Doctor gave me a worried look, "Hazel, you shouldn't even be drinking. You're stopping, no more for you."

"I am," I smiled, "I'm 'bout to pay the waitress now, anyway." I called the nice woman over, at which she came, and took out a wallet -- the Doctor's wallet -- and gave her a few of the old-looking, shiny coins, and she beamed at me.

I smirked at the Doctor, "There. Paid," I said, tossing his wallet back to him, and his eyes fractioned, realizing that I totally played him.

"HEY!" He shouted, and I began to laugh and Amy fell into a giggling fit.

Vincent chuckled at me, "Your little friend is funny, I like her."

"I know," I grinned, and the Doctor rolled his eyes with a huff.

"Anyways," he drawled, trying to get back on topic. "Vincent, painted any churches recently? Any churchy plans? Are churches, chapels, religiousy stuff like that, something you'd like to get into? You know, fairly soon?"

"Well, there is one church I'm thinking of painting when the weather is right," he said, thoughtfully, and the Doctor beamed.

"That is very good news!"

Then, a woman ran in shouting, "She's been murdered! Help me!"

The four of us shot up, "That, on the other hand, isn't quite such good news," the Doctor frowned, getting out if his seat with me right behind him. "Come on, Amy, Hazel, Vincent!"

**•-•-•-•-•**

We found ourselves back in the street, outside of a crowd of people, with a man shouting, "She's been ripped to shreds!" There were a few dogs, barking wildly off to the side, that I didn't take interest in, and went to go to the crowd of people instead.

"Please, let me look. I'm a doctor," the Doctor said, and everyone moved for him to get through.

I looked down at the mangled, bloody body. It had several claw marks, similar to a wild animal's except much, much larger. It almost looked like something an Eraser would do, except we were in the 1800s, so there weren't any Erasers... I hope.

"Who is it?" A woman whispered beside me, while the Doctor kept muttering, "Oh no, no, no..."

"Is she dead?" Someone else whispered.

Then a woman, who looked slightly similar to the disfigured girl, "Away, all of you vultures. This is my daughter," she shouted. "Giselle. What monster could have done this? Get away from her!"

"Okay, okay," the Doctor said, moving away.

"Get that madman out of here!" She yelled, picking up stones and throwing it at us as we left the street, "You bring this on us. Your madness! You!" We quickly escaped into the alley, waiting for the shouting people's voices.

"Are you all right?" The Doctor asked once we were safe.

"Yes, I'm used to it," Vincent shrugged carelessly, but I noticed how tight his arms were pressed to his body. _He wasn't fine, he probably hated it every time they did that._

I think the Doctor noticed it too, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he changed the subject, "Has anything like this murder happened here before?"

"Only a week ago. It's a terrible time," he answered.

"As I thought. As I thought," the Doctor nodded to himself. "Come on, we'd better get you home."

"Where are you staying tonight?" Vincent asked, nearly making me smile. He didn't even know us, but he was worried about us, that's sweet.

The Doctor smiled too, "Oh, you're very kind," he answered, politely denying his offer, as we made our way to his house.

As they talked, I kept my eyes focused on the sky, which was especially starry tonight. There was no light pollution unlike in London or in the U.S. so, it was really quite beautiful to look at. I wanted to get a closer look at them, but I think that Vincent would freak out if I just pulled my wings out of my back all of a sudden. _Poor guy thinks he's crazy already, there's no need to scare him like that._

Finally, we made it to his house. Amy and I decided against going inside, because we'd rather look at the paintings hanging on the close lines to dry. "Watch out, that one's wet," he warned before going inside the house with the Doctor.

"Noted," I nodded to no-one in particular, and looked around the paintings, also looking at the sky as well.

"The stars are beautiful tonight," Amy sighed dreamily.

"They're better close up," I answered, smiling as well. "Wanna closer look?"

"I would love to, but I couldn't take heights like that," she laughed, making me nod understandingly.

"The best feeling, is when the wind is going through my feathers," I told her, glancing at one of the art pieces, which looked amazing. "It feels so free. Like nothing in the world can hold me down. It's awesome."

"When I was a little girl, I wished I had wings," she laughed. "So I could just... Fly away. I'd spend hours watching the birds in the sky instead of working on schoolwork."

"I wish I had the chance to go to school. I love learning things..."

Amy turned to me, "You never went to school?"

"No, not really. I taught myself to read and would read the pages of books I stole from the Whitecoats when I was bored. After I... Left, I would visit a library whenever I had the chance, when I wasn't being chased down by crazy Erasers, that is."

"You're a really smart kid," Amy complimented.

"Tha--" I stiffened, my eyes fractioning. The hairs on the back of my head stood on ends, something was watching me. I strained my ears to hear heavy breathing near Amy. The bush on the opposite side of the curtain ruffled, as if it were hit.

Quickly, I tackled Amy to the ground, just as something jumped over our heads. I felt a invisible force hit me in the side, throwing me across the courtyard, and hitting my head on the wall painfully, destroying a stone statue in the process.

Amy screamed, the Doctor and Vincent ran out of the house. I looked up, my eyes bright yellow, spotting huge orangish-red animal standing in front of me.

I gasped and rolled over, just as it brought its hand down where I laid and squawked loudly. "Hazel!" The Doctor shouted, but I was too busy trying to find sharp rock, and slid my hand up my shirt, trying to cut off my bandages quickly, and taking off my jacket at the same time. I was very, very happy that I decided to put slits in my shirt before I left the TARDIS.

The animal squawked at me again, baring its beak and teeth inside at me, its hand hit me again, and I moved away, and it just snagged on my leg, making it bleed.

At the scent of my blood, it focused in on me, and charge me again, only to be blocked by Vincent, who held a large pitchfork. "Run!" He shouted to me, and I quickly got up. He jabbed the animal with his pitchfork and it shouted back, still looking at me.

I felt the Doctor drag me back, "He's having a fit, are you okay?" He asked, but I looked at him like he was crazy.

"The hell-- don't you _SEE_ that!?!" I exclaimed, motioning to the large animal that Vincent was poking at. I scrambled to get up, shoving off my jacket and releasing my wings.

I went headfirst into the animal, making it topple over and Vincent stabbed it in the leg, making the cry in pain. The pitchfork stayed in for a several more seconds before falling out, and it ran away.

I breathed heavily, and went back to the ground. Vincent stared at me, "You-you have wings!?"

"Yeah," I said, breathlessly. I winced and glanced down to see blood falling out of my legs heavily. "I'm bleeding," I stated monotonously, I touched my head, which was hurting a bit, but otherwise fine. Surprisingly no blood.

The Doctor looked at me, "Wha-- Hazel!" He shouted, quickly coming over, "Get some bandages!" Swiftly, he scooped me up, ignoring my shout in protest and ran me into the house.

Ten minutes later, I was sitting down with my leg sloppily wrapped up. "No, you can't do it like that, there's still blood coming out," the Doctor argued with Amy.

"Well, sorry I didn't exactly major in medical," she huffed, and I rolled my eyes, undoing the wrappings and redoing it correctly.

"I told you it wasn't that serious," I said, again.

"You were bleeding!" The Doctor protested.

"I was fine."

"Uh, explain to me again how you have wings and that I'm not going insane," Vincent said, a bit of uncertainty in his voice.

"Like I said earlier, it's a long story, but you're not insane and I do have wings," I answered tightening the bandage and standing up. "For starters, we could maybe start trying to find out what the hell that animal was, because I'm pretty sure it's something alien."

"You saw it, but none of us did," the Doctor frowned. "How?"

"It's probably a bird kid thing," I shrugged, _but that didn't explain how Vincent could see it._

"Right. So he's invisible. What did he look like?" The Doctor asked.

"I'll show you," Vincent said and went to a painting with a vase of awfully pretty purple flowers on it, and begins to pain over it.

"Oh, no, no. No, no!" The Doctor shouted, moving to stop him.

"What?" Vincent asked, confused, but the damage was already done.

"It's just er, that was quite a good," the Doctor answered with a disappointed sigh. "Oh, no. On you go."

He shrugged but began to paint over it anyway, I gave him a few comments from what I saw too. Finally he finished with a animal with long claws, a crest, and the down-pointed beak.

"Okay. Okay," the Doctor nodded, taking the picture. "Right. Amy, Hazel, make Mister Van Gogh comfortable. Don't let any invisible monsters in through the front door."

"And what are you going to do?" I asked skeptically.

"I'm gonna go find out what this beasty is," he answered with a grin.

"But it could be outside, waiting," Amy argued, agreeing with me.

"Well, don't worry. I'll risk it. What's the worst that can happen?"

"You could get torn into pieces by a monster you can't see," Amy deadpanned.

"She's right," I nodded. "I'm coming with you."

"What? No--"

"You can't see the thing, I can. If I go, you have less of a chance of looking like you were put through a paper shredder."

"Don't worry," he said. "I'll be back before you can say where's he got to now? Not that fast! But pretty fast. See you around." With that, he left, leaving Amy, Vincent, and I in the room.

Vincent yawned, "I don't know about you two women, but I'm gonna get some shut eye..." He mumbled, going up the stairs, "Wake me up if something happens."

I turned to Amy, "I'm gonna follow him. You stay here with Vincent."

"What? No, I'm coming with you!"

"If something happens to him, then you have to help," I explained. "I can cover by sky, it's dark out so no-one will see me."

"And what am I supposed to do? Twiddle my thumbs?"

"You're going to protect the greatest artist in history. Tell him a bedtime story or something, I dunno."

"He's a grown man," she rolled her eyes. "I don't think he'll want to hear a bedtime story."

"Well, then, work something out," I shrugged, "I'm leaving." With that I left the room, unfurled my wings and escaped into the starry night sky.

**•-•-•-•-•**

I stayed above the building in the alley where the TARDIS was placed, watching as the Doctor went into the blue box, then coming out several minutes later with a weird device strapped around his person. He was mumbling to himself, something about _'Krafayis'_ whatever that was.

Then I noticed movement behind him. I quickly made my eyes yellow and watched the animal slowly stalk up on the Doctor. The Doctor kept moving at a mirror that was positioned to show it behind him, but made no movement to run or do anything.

 _What was he doing!?_ I thought to myself. I didn't know whether he was waiting or just being stupid.

Finally, he saw it and began to run. Taking this as a cue, I swooped down, taking him by the arms, "AHAH!!" He screamed, much like a little girl, might I add. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"Saving your ass," I hissed back, looking to see the animal running frantically after us. I quickly turned the corner to see Amy. I dropped the Doctor on the ground, it was only a few feet anyway, so he'll live.

"Wha--"

"GO, GO, GO!" I shouted, and they ran. The animal not far behind.

The Doctor was throwing down objects and other things to block it's path and slow it down, whilst shouting, "Take that! And that!" And, surprisingly, it worked because eventually, it stopped and turned the opposite way.

"It's gone," I announced, and the two of them slowed in their tracks as well, gasping hungrily for oxygen. "You know, you're not as heavy as you look, Doctor," I commented, making his ears turn pink.

"Well, I wasn't expecting for you to swoop down and pick me up like that," he huffed, straightening his bow-tie. "What are you two doing here? I thought I told you to stay with Vincent!"

"Sorry, I got bored," Amy shrugged. "As much as you admire his command of color and shape, it is hard to get fond of Vincent Van Gogh's snoring."

He turned to me, "And what's your excuse?"

"I was trying to make sure you didn't look like one of Jack the Ripper's victims," I rolled my eyes. "You're welcome."

"So what's the plan now?" Amy asked.

"Go to the TARDIS and go to tomorrow morning," the Doctor answered.

"What about Vincent? Someone's gotta stay behind and watch him," I asked. "How about you two go, and I'll keep watch."

"Leave you to stay up and wait for us. No, you're coming, he'll be fine in the morning," the Doctor argued, but I still wasn't satisfied.

"And what if that animal--"

"It's called a Krafayis," the Doctor corrected.

"Okay, what if the 'Krafayis' comes back? We're going to leave him vulnerable? I'll stay and watch over him, okay. You two go back. It'll only take a minute."

"You sure?" Amy asked.

"Positive," I nodded. "I'll head back now. Be careful, okay?"

"We will," Amy smiled, "We come back."

"Yeah you better," I laughed. "Don't wanna be stuck in 1890. You two hurry up, before it come back. Oh, and bring me a coffee, too. See you tomorrow," I stretched my wings and took off into the sky, leaving the two behind.

**•-•-•-•-•**

Once I got back to Vincent's house, I tucked away my wings and slowly entered the door. "Where's the others?" He asked, as soon as I walked in. Oh, he was awake.

"Sorry we had to go. They'll be back tomorrow morning," I answered, sitting on one of the stools.

"Oh, okay," he nodded. "And... What about you?"

"I volunteered to make sure the 'invisible beast' doesn't come back," I replied.

"Ah, thanks," he nodded. An awkward silence fell between us. I shifted uncomfortably in the stool, until Vincent finally said, "If you don't mind... Could I, maybe, see your wings...?"

"Hmm? Yeah, sure," I nodded unfurling my wings. I curled them over because the room was too small for them to go at my full length. I looked at my feathers with a frown and began to pick at them.

"What are you doing?" He asked curiously.

"It's called preening," I answered. "It's basically just cleaning feathers. Ugh, they're so dirty and messed up..."

"Dirty? They're beautiful!"

I chuckled, "I appreciate the compliment, but if you're looking at it from my angle, then you'd see all the dirty and messed up feathers..."

He laughed a little, "I still can't believe that you actually have wings..."

"I couldn't either, when I was first getting used to them..." I muttered, and he frowned at me.

"You weren't born with them?"

"Nah, it's a bit more complicated than that."

"How complicated?"

"A bunch of old guys trying to play god complicated..." I sighed, "Why don't you get some sleep? I'll still be here in the morning."

"What about you?"

"I offered to stay here," I shrugged.

"I can't let you just sit here."

"Yes you can," he frowned at me, and I sighed. "Okay, how about this: If you go to sleep, I'll let you paint my wings tomorrow."

His eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas, "Really!?"

"You have to sleep though. And I'm going to check on you too," I warned, making a small creep up on his bearded faced.

"Okay, I'll go," He said, turning to go upstairs. I smiled a bit and continued to preen my wings.

**•-•-•-•-•**

At around nine o' clock, I heard a loud whooshing sound in the courtyard. I looked up from the table to see the TARDIS materializing. Once it finished, the Doctor and Amy stepped out, and entered the small house, "Hazel?"

"Hey," I greeted, wearily. I spotted a white cup with a familiar logo in the Doctor's hand.

"We stopped by America and found a 'Starbucks' which apparently sold coffee," the Doctor said, handing me the cup. "I'm not a coffee person, so here, it's black."

"Ah, you're such a blessing," I said, taking the coffee gratefully, and sipping the hot beverage.

"Where's Vincent?" Amy asked, and a second later, a loud snoring noise riveted through the small home. "Oh," Amy giggled.

"Don't wake him up," I warned, standing up and stretching my wings a bit, but not too much to knock something over.

"Why are your wings out?" Amy asked curiously.

"If the Krafayis attacked, I wanted to be ready," I shrugged, downing the rest of my coffee, ahh-ing at the burning sensation it left in my throat.

"I'm gonna go wake him up," the Doctor said, but Amy stopped him.

"No, not yet, I wanna get him a little surprise first," Amy said, and ran outside, heading in the direction of the field of sunflowers.

When she left, I yawned loudly, "Do you wanna go get some rest? You look awfully sleepy."

"I'm fine," I said, brushing it off. "Give me a few minutes for the caffeine to kick in."

"You've been up for several hours," the Doctor said, worryingly.

"I'll be fine. I went whole weeks only getting a half-hour of sleep. I'm sure pulling an all-nighter is no bigge."

"When did you have to go whole weeks without sleeping?" The Doctor asked. I didn't quite catch on to the concern shown in his voice.

"When I flew across the Pacific, which was seriously cold, actually, and much longer than I thought it would be."

He scrunched his eyebrows together, "You actually flew across the Pacific?"

"Yeah, how else did you expect me to get here?"

"I thought you hitched on a boat or something."

"I get sea-sick," I replied, and he chuckled, not expecting that answer. "What? What else do you expect when you put a bird on a boat?"

"Ahahah, sorry," he laughed. "I just didn't expect you to say that..."

"Whatever," I huffed, just as Amy entered the courtyard with armful of flowers. Being very curious of her actions, I walked outside to confront her on it, "What are you doing...?" I asked as she began to stuff them into vases and baskets and etc, and place them on the table.

"He is going to paint Sunflower's soon, and I wanna inspire him," she replied with a smile as she arranged the flowers intricately.

"You can't just give someone inspiration, you've gotta let them find it themselves," I explained, but she ignored me.

"Okay, I'm done," she said, and went popped inside for a second. "You can wake him now," she said, and the Doctor went upstairs, and I followed him.

Vincent was snoring loudly in the bed, but he looked very peaceful. It was actually quite nice to see him like this, considering he was supposed to kill himself in the future.

_I guess happy moments don't last forever..._

Pushing my depressing thoughts away, I watched, musingly as the Doctor shook Vincent Van Gogh awake, "Wake, wakey, rise and shine!" He said, as the man's eyes fluttered open. "Breakfast is served in the courtyard. Whoa! What a morning. Come on. And Amy's got a little surprise for you," he -- quite literally -- dragged Vincent out of bed and down the steps.

"Mornin'," he greeted me, his Scottish accent thick in his sleepy voice. He seemed to glance right over my wings, as if he didn't care.

"Morning," I said, replied, and he whipped his head around, staring right at my wings, his exhaustion disappearing from his face.

"You still have wings! It wasn't a dream!" He shouted gleefully.

I laughed, "Yep, you're not as insane as you think you are. C'mon, Amy has a surprise for you."

"Ah, the pretty Holland girl! I liked her!" He grinned, and sent down the steps and out the door -- barefooted.

Amy was standing in front of the pots full of flowers, "I thought I'd brighten things up to thank you for saving us last night," Amy said with a smile, as Vincent walked over.

"Ah," was all he said, and Amy's smile dropped.

"I thought you might like, you know, possibly to perhaps paint them or something?" She suggested, "Might be a thought."

"Yes, well, they're not my favorite flower," he admitted, and Amy gave him a confused look.

"You don't like sunflowers?"

"No, it's not that I don't like them. I find them complex," he corrected. "Always somewhere between living and dying. Half-human as they turn to the sun. A little disgusting. But, you know, they are a challenge." He turned to me, "You, promised me a chance to paint you and your beautiful wings of yours."

"If you still want to, you can," I shrugged, and he smiled.

"Before you do that," the Doctor cut in. "There's something I would like to show you."

We migrated back into the house and the Doctor pulled out a paper, the same one I saw him fiddling with last night. It looked exactly like the Krafayis, "That's him," Vincent nodded. "And the eyes, without mercy."

"This is a creature called the Krafayis," The Doctor explained. "They travel in space. They travel as a pack, scavenging across the universe. And sometimes one of them gets left behind. And because they are a brutal race, the others never come back. So, dotted all around the universe are individual, utterly merciless, utterly abandoned Krafayis. And what they do is, well, kill, until they're killed. Which they usually aren't. Because other creatures can't see them."

"But I can," Vincent said, a bit confusedly.

"Yes. And that's why we are in a unique position today, my friend, to end this reign of terror. So, feeling like painting the church today?"

"What about the monster?"

"Take my word for it. If you paint it, he will come."

"Okay," he nodded, "I'll get my things."

"In your own time. And I promise you, we'll be out of your hair by this time tomorrow," the Doctor promised as the man left the room. Then, he turned to us a serious expression on his face, "This is risky."

"Riskier than normal?" Amy asked, not quite understanding his words.

"Well, think about it. This is the middle of Vincent Van Gogh's greatest year of painting," the Doctor said. "If we're not careful, the net result of our pleasant little trip will be the brutal murder of the greatest artist who ever lived. Half the pictures on the wall of the Museé D'Orsay will disappear," he paused, gulping. "And it will be our fault."

**•-•-•-•-•**

A half hour later, I was sitting in the courtyard with Amy. The Doctor went to check on Vincent. I heard yelling, and a minute later he came back out.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, he looked very worried.

"Vincent's throwing a fit," he sighed. "We should just leave him alone, and--"

" _'Leave him alone'!?_ What!? Let me go talk to him," I insisted, trying to push past the Doctor, who blocked the door.

"Let him sort himself out, Hazel," the Doctor said. "He'll be fine in a few minutes."

"No he won't," I growled. "He'll just push it down and act like everything okay. I don't know about you, but I wore that look. Let me go see him, Doctor." My voice, and look was stern. I wasn't going to back down anytime soon.

He sighed, but moved, and I walked into the house, closing the door behind me.

The first thing I heard was muffled crying coming from upstairs. I slowly walked up the steps, and into his room. "Vincent? Can we talk?"

"Leave me alone!" He shouted at me, but I didn't move.

"I know you're sad and angry--"

"What do you know!?" He hissed.

"One time, I was shot out of the sky and nearly fell to my death," I answered without hesitation, and he looked at me, his eyes red and puffy.

" _Really?_ "

I nodded, "You asked how I got these wings, it was because I was experimented on when I was younger. At one point, I broke out and wanted to go look for others like me. I was alone, for four whole years. During that time, I was attacked more times than I can count by wolf-men sent by the men who experimented on me, trying to bring me back. I had a few close calls, but they never got me.

"Then, one time, when I was flying, one of the wolf-men shot me several times straight through the wing. I didn't even hear or see him, but I knew that if I fell, I would get taken. So, I kept flying on a bloody wing that was pretty messed up, until finally, I fainted, while I was flying. I barely had enough time to save myself when I hit the ground.

"I landed on my wing, and the bone completely snapped. That-that was the worst possible pain I was ever put through. All I could do was lie on the ground, sobbing at my broken wing. I must've been out there for hours, now that I think about it. I thought I was going to die in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the road. Until finally, a car came, and saw me on the ground.

"Her name was Laura Dawner. She was a nurse in her second year of veterinary school -- she was like an animal-doctor. She would work as a helper at a veterinary clinic for experience. I'm still surprised that she didn't call the ambulance when she saw me on the ground, half-dead. Instead she picked me up and took me to her work, the clinic.

"I remember that she held my alula's the entire time. Oh, that's this little part of my wing," I pointed to the side of my wing, where the alula's were located. "It's like a hand, but for wings. Anyways, she kept telling me that I was going to be okay, even though I was pretty much dead already.

"I don't remember much of the operation, but I was told that I nearly shattered my entire bone, and I wasn't supposed to live through that, but I did. And even after that, my chances of flying again were less than ten percent.

"Honestly, the part that scared me most was not being able to flying again. I didn't care if I died, surprisingly. I love my wings. It's apart of me. Yeah, I didn't exactly ask for them, but I still live with them I accepted the fact that I'm different and honestly would probably never be actually apart of society because I'm different. You know why? Because I get to have a experience that nobody else gets to. Of course, there's a helluva lotta downsides to it, but being able to feel the wind rushing through my wings, being able to see everything on the earth look so small and delicate, and being able to go up to height that most planes can't get to, that's an experience to die for and I wouldn't give it up for all the money and happiness in the world."

Once I finished, Vincent had stopped crying and was tentatively listening to my speech. When he realized I stopped, he frowned, "But, what about Laura? And your wing?"

I looked down, "Twelve weeks and a lot of wing exercises later, I was able to fly again, but... One of the wolf-men found me. He held Laura and her boyfriend hostage. They said that if I didn't turn myself over, they'd kill them."

"... What'd you do?" He asked in a hushed tone.

I shot a forced smile at him, "That's not important. I'll see you outside, okay?" Then, I stiffly left the room, when I saw the Doctor standing beside the stairs, he had heard everything.

"Laura died, didn't she?" The Doctor asked immediately, and I looked away.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm so sorry, Hazel..."

"Shut up," I muttered, not bothering to look at him.

"I am, really. Nobody should--"

"You don't understand, Doctor," I cut him off. "She had a whole life in front of her. She had a boyfriend she was going to marry. She even told me she was three-months pregnant. And then I got her killed. I got all three of them killed. You can say 'I'm sorry' all you want, Doctor, but that won't wipe their innocent blood off my hands." My voice choked up and I quickly wiped my eyes, making any tears in my eyes disappear and I left his house.

Eventually, Vincent was ready to go. The walk to the church was kind of depressing and awkward. I had my wings tucked safely in my shirt, so no passing strollers could see them. I also didn't speak a single word, while the they talked amongst themselves. I was too busy trying to get Laura, Darren, and her child out of my head.

I still remember her screams. She begged the Erasers not to kill her, and they laughed at her. They carved her stomach open with a knife and took out her baby, right in front of her eyes, with Darren watching too. Then, as if that wasn't enough, they shot the unborn baby.

I remember seeing blood everywhere. Laura was dead, Darren was a shot as soon as I entered, and the three Erasers were laughing like it was funny. When I saw Laura, I froze. I didn't know what to do. She was the first person to ever help me. She fixed my wing when I was supposed to die. That gave the Erasers a chance to jump me, but I didn't struggle. I had fantasies that I could've lived with Laura and Darren and their kid. I knew it wasn't ever going to work out but I never thought I'd come to this kind of conclusion.

I had to sing, in order to get out of there, and killed everyone else doing it.

I don't think I'd been so depressed in my life after that. I had been so ready to just give up, but I didn't want to let their deaths be in vain. If it hadn't been for them, then I wouldn't have been searching for the Flock today.

I felt someone tap my shoulder, and I turned around quickly, "Hey, what's up with you?" Amy asked. "You've been all grim and sad this whole-- why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying," I denied instantly. "I'm fine. Are we almost there?"

"Yeah, it'll be another mile or so," Vincent answered.

"You were crying," Amy said, now in a softer, quieter, and more gentle tone. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Of course I'm okay," I replied. "I gonna go on ahead. I can see the church from here," I told the others and took off, not waiting for a reply.

They had caught up with me five minutes later. I was sitting on the ground, watching two birds circle each other in the sky. "You run fast," Vincent said, a bit winded.

"It's a bird kid thing," I answered as Vincent began to set up.

"And you'll be sure to tell me if you see any, you know, monsters," the Doctor said to the man, who nodded.

"Yes. While I may be mad, I'm not stupid," he said sarcastically, earning a small snicker from me.

"No. Quite. And, to be honest, I'm not sure about mad either. It seems to me depression is a very complex--" Vincent cut him off with a shush, and began to paint.

"Shush, I'm working," he told the brown-haired man.

The Doctor nodded rapidly, "Well, yes. Paint. Do painting! I remember watching Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel. Wow! What a whinger. I kept saying to him, 'look, if you're scared of heights, you shouldn't have taken the job then'."

"Shush," Amy shushed him.

"And Picasso," The Doctor continued. "What a ghastly old goat. I kept telling him, concentrate, Pablo. It's one eye, either side of the face!"

"Quiet," Amy said again. I chuckled, and began to tone them out, listening to the comforting woodland sounds. My sleep deprivation seemed to catch up on my as I was no longer to hold my eyes open anymore and fell asleep.

**•-•-•-•-•**

_"Help us" Laura's tearful voice shouted through the phone. "Please, please help us!"_

_"I'm coming!" I told her, beating my wings as fast as I could, ignoring the pain I felt with every flap, as I went through the tons of rain that fell from the cloudy Louisiana sky. "Hang on!!"_

_"You hear that," the gruff voice of the Eraser said, followed by a garbled laugh. "Little Tweety Bird is gonna save you!"_

_"DON'T TOUCH HER!" I shouted through the phone, which only made the Eraser laugh harder._

_"Please," the woman begged, "I'm pregnant. I'll give you anything! Money? Do you want money?"_

_"You'll give me anything?" Another one said in a teasing tone._

_"Yes, we'll do anything," Darren agreed._

_"Well, there is something I want..."_

_"What? What is it!?"_

_"I want... To see you_ **_bleed!_ ** _" I heard someone get stabbed, and a scream of bloody murder. The phone shook in my hands, I nearly dropped it._

_"NO!" Darren cried, and fell into a sobbing fit. I heard more tearing and lashings until finally, the demented laughter of Erasers._

_"Oh look! There really was a baby!" He laughed gleefuly. Then, I heard a gunshot, and more screaming. "No more baby~."_

_I threw the phone, not bothering to look at where it fell. My heart raced even faster as I neared the warehouse they were being kept in._

_Once I got there, I tucked in my wings, diving through the glass ceiling. I wish I didn't have to see the sight I saw._

_Laura's body was tore up. Her ivory skin was a sickly green. Her stomach wide open showing body parts and blood. Her blue eyes dulled and rolled back into her head, and her blond hair held spots of her blood. On the ground was a separate, smaller blood stain, which I could only assume was her baby._

_"Oh, look who decided to join us," the Erasers grinned, and shot Darren in the head, without any warning whatsoever. His blood shot everywhere, and mostly on me._

_I froze, staring at the two, dead people who were just laughing and talking with me hours earlier. Wha-- what did I do!?_

_"Aw, did birdy lose her song?" The Erasers teased, pushing me into Laura's dead body, getting blood all over my shirt._

_"Stop..." I muttered._

_"What was that, birdy? You'll have to sing louder!" He laughed again._

_"I SAID STOP!!" I screamed, making the metal barrels dent and my eyes burn yellow, yet heavy tears cascaded down my face. "_ **_YOU SICK, FUCKING BASTARDS! I FUCKING HATE YOU! I HATE YOU ALL!! I'M GOING TO KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU LITTLE SHITS!"_ **

**•-•-•-•-•**

I shot up, gasping for air, it took me a second to realized I was with the Doctor, Amy, and Vincent.

Everyone turned to me, "You okay, Hazel?" The Doctor asked, concerned. "Did you have a nightmare?"

I didn't answer for a few minutes. Then I stood up, "I'm gonna go take a walk," I announced and began to walk away, trying to get rid of the memory that was forever burned into my mind.

**•-•-•-•-•**

An hour later, I came back, and them gone, and noises inside the church. "Dammit," I cursed, running into the church, my eyes yellow, again. I saw the Krafayis banging against a door, and I whistled. "Hey, hey, over here!" I said, drawing it away from the door and towards me. The Krafayis turned towards me, and cocked its head. I grinned, as it ran at me. I went across the room, jumping through the stained glass window and into the other room, with the Doctor, Amy, and Vincent.

"Hello," I greeted, just as the large animal came through as well.

"Why'd you come in here?!" The Doctor hissed, as Vincent drawer the animal towards itself.

"Nice to see you too," I muttered, turning to the animal, which was hiding behind a stone pillar. Vincent turned his wooden easel around on the pointy end and pointed it threateningly at the Krafayis.

The Krafayis was walking around the room, not giving a care in the world about the four of us. It seemed just be... Feeling the room, almost. "What's it up to now?" The Doctor asked.

"It's moving 'round the room," Vincent answered. "Feeling its way around."

"What?"

"It's like it's trapped," Vincent tried to explain. "It's moving round the edges of the room."

"I can't see a thing," Amy complained, and the Doctor smacked his forehead, as if he figured something out.

"I am really stupid," he told himself. "Oh, get a grip! This is not a moment to re-evaluate your self-esteem. No, I am really stupid, and I'm growing old. Why does it attack but never eat its victims? And why was it abandoned by its pack and left here to die? And why is it feeling its way helplessly around the walls of the room? It can't see. It's blind. Yes, and that explains why it has such perfect hearing!"

"Well, that would explain why it's staring at us and charging now," I said.

"Vincent. Vincent, what's happening?" The Doctor asked, frantically.

"It's charging now," Vincent shouted. "Get back. Get back!" Everyone went behind him as he held up the easel and it lodged itself in the Krafayis' chest.

The animal cried in pain, and fell to the ground, mortally wounded. I blinked, making my eyes normal again, to see the animal, lying there, gasping for breath.

I assumed everyone could see it too, because the Doctor ran to the animal's side. "He wasn't without mercy at all. He was without sight," Vincent said, soberly, staring helplessly at the poor animal that was writhing in pain. "I didn't mean that to happen. I only meant to wound it, I never meant to--"

"He's trying to say something," the Doctor said, leaning over the animal.

"What is it?" Vincent asked, hesitantly.

"I'm having trouble making it out, but I think he's saying, I'm afraid," the Doctor paused. "I'm afraid. There, there. Shush, shush. It's okay, it's okay. You'll be fine. Shush." The Krafayis cawed again, but it was much weaker, and his eyes slowly closed shut.

"He was frightened, and he lashed out," Vincent said in a depressing tone. "Like humans who lash out when they're frightened. Like the villagers who scream at me. Like the children who throw stones at me."

"Sometimes winning... winning is no fun at all," the Doctor answered.

**•-•-•-•-•**

"Are you done yet?" I asked impatiently, and Vincent chuckled.

"Almost! Give me a few seconds..." He replied, dabbing at his board a few more times. "Done!" He grinned and I dropped my wings, going over to the painting.

It was very realistic. My dark skin seemed to shine in the last rays of the sunset in the background. My hair delicately flowing over my shoulders, curling slightly, and my wings at their full length. My brown-and-black feathers glimmered like a fish's scales and the detail was extraordinary. Every single feather stuck out, and some tilted at adjacent angles, others straight and shining proudly. My face was turned to the side, only showing about 3/4ths of it, as if I were looking at the sunset in the background. I wore my blue tee-shirt and jeans, identical to the ones I had on now, and even those showed very fold and crease!

"This is amazing," I awed, "No, amazing would be an understatement. This is spectacular. Extraordinary. Epic!"

"Why, thank you," he smiled. "You may have it, if you like."

"No, you keep it," I shook my head. "Think of it as a way to make sure you didn't just dream this all up." He laughed, and gave me a nod, making me smile.

The Doctor looked over his shoulder, as Amy did mine's. "What do you want to call it?" He asked, curiously.

"I think I'm going to call it... _'The Winged'_..." He said with a nod.

"That sounds fantastic," I grinned.

As Vincent packed away his supplies, the sun began to set and the stars began to rise. Once it was dark enough, we laid in an empty field, together, stargazing. "Hold my hand, Doctor," Vincent said, awing. "Try to see what I see. We are so lucky we are still alive to see this beautiful world. Look at the sky. It's not dark and black and without character. The black is in fact deep blue. And over there," he pointed in a different area, "Lighter blue. And blowing through the blueness and the blackness, the wind swirling through the air and then, shining, burning, bursting through, the stars. Can you see how they roar their light? Everywhere we look, the complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes."

"I've seen many things, my friend," the Doctor replied respectfully. "But you're right. Nothing quite as wonderful as the things you see."

"I will miss you terribly," he sighed, and a comfortable, peaceful silence fell, between us.

"Hey Vincent," I said, and he turned to me. "Do you wanna get a closer look?"

He chuckled, "I appreciate the offer, but I wouldn't want to burden you with my weight."

"I'm much stronger than I look," I smiled, "I promise I won't drop you."

He paused for a minute, thinking it over, then he nodded.

I grinned standing up, and unfurling my wings, and helping him up too. "So, how's this gonna work?" He asked, rubbing his neck.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, "Just hold on." With a heavy flap to go, I jumped in the sky. Vincent shouted in surprise, holding onto my arms for dear life, but it didn't take us long to be sailing a little below the clouds. I didn't take him too high, in since he couldn't handle the air pressure like I could.

"Look," I said, with a small laugh, staring at the ground where the Doctor and Amy waved. "This is what I see."

"You were right," he gave a small laugh, "It is beautiful." I then flew him in a few circles, which he seemed to enjoy very much, before going back to the ground and setting him down softly.

"Thank you," he smiled at me gratefully. "That was amazing, although it was quite terrifying at first." I laughed and went to go rejoin the others.

Later, we stayed over at Vincent's house. Sleeping in sleeping back, provided by the TARDIS, and lying in the ground floor of Vincent's home. A few hours after everyone had fallen asleep, I was still up, staring at the ceiling.

I glanced over at Amy, who was lightly snoring next to me, and quietly slipped out of my bag, carefully and slowly left the small house, and laid on a bench in the courtyard, staring at the twinkling stars in the sky silently. My wings began to cramp a bit, so I let them out as well.

"You okay?" The Doctor's voice asked, standing behind me.

I chuckled, "Congrats, it takes a lot of skill to sneak up on me like that."

I moved so he could sit down beside me. "What are you doing out here?" He asked, curiously, "You should be sleeping."

"I'm keeping watch," I replied.

He looked at me, concerned, "The Krafayis is--"

"Dead? I know."

"Then why aren't you inside? It's getting chilly out."

"Nobody was keeping watch."

"Watch for what?"

"Anything."

We were silent for several minutes. "You know I wouldn't let anything get to you, right?"

I didn't answer immediately. "I don't... I don't feel... Comfortable sleeping without making sure someone is looking out for Erasers."

"There are no Erasers."

"I told myself that everytime I slept alone in the middle of nowhere," I muttered. "'There's no Erasers'. 'I'll be okay'." I took a shuddering breath, "It's hard to fly without a flock sometimes... There's no-one there to make sure nothing happens to you or make sure you're okay."

"I'm here now," the Doctor soothed. "I'll make sure you won't be hurt."

I choked out a small laugh, "That's a nice thought, but you're a bit too late."

"Well, you know what they say. 'Better late than never'."

I was silent, absent-mindedly preening my wing. "Your wings are beautiful..." The Doctor murmured, trailing down to my brown/black wings.

"They're the worse things that happened to me... But at the same time, they're also the best..."

We were silent for a long time. I felt myself slowly dozing off, seeing I had only gotten a hour of sleep, but I kept my eyes opened. "You can sleep," the Doctor told me. "I'll keep watch..." I looked at him for a few seconds, and he smiled at me. So, I laid down against his shoulder, and went to sleep.

And, I was proud to say, that that had been the best sleep I had gotten in years.


	10. chapter ten:

**Chapter 10:**

Hazel's POV 

I woke up to the scent of food, making me sit up. I rubbed my eyes looking around. I was in my room, on the TARDIS, and someone was cooking... _Eggs?_

I stumbled out of the bed, down the hallway, my wings tips lazily dragging on the floor. As I neared the kitchen, I could hear them bickering from down the hall, "That is not how you make eggs," Amy argue.

"I'm over 900-years old! I'm quite sure I learned how to make proper eggs during that time!"

"I don't even know why you're making eggs! She's part _BIRD!_ Isn't that cannibalism!?"

"Actually, I love eggs," I said as I entered the kitchen, and the two of them turned around quickly. "Mornin'. How long was I out?"

"Two days," the Doctor answered, making my eyebrows shoot up.

"Two _DAYS_! Why didn't you wake me up?!"

"I was going to, but he wouldn't let me," Amy huffed. "Kept saying that you never get the chance to sleep like that."

I looked at the Doctor, "What if something happened!? What if the Erasers found us!? Why would you let me sleep like that?!?"

"That's the exact reason why I let you sleep in," The Doctor said, with a small chuckle. "You worry too much. You're gonna worry yourself to death."

I glared at him, "I'm serious Doctor! You two could've been taken in order to get to me! I... I don't want to go through that again..." My anger trail off, and the Doctor's face melted, and he made a small 'o' with his mouth. 

"Hazel, I can handle myself," he said comfortingly. "Don't worry about me. In fact," his smile grew once more. "Amelia and I have prepared a meal for you, since you're probably starving anyway."

He to the fridge and pulled out a a plate full of hot dogs and hamburgers, while Amy carried a very large soda. "Here!" The Doctor beamed. "It was the my idea! You mentioned that you needed a lot of calories after flying, and you flew a lot the other day, so we decided that throwing you a mini buffet would be great! I thought that since you were American that you would want American foods, like hamburgers and hot dogs and soda, but Amy kept saying that you would want breakfast foods since you were just waking up. So, we decided to do both. I wanted to make you eggs, but Amy kept saying that you wouldn't like eggs, which would be very reasonable, but I decided to try anyway. So, I hope you like it!"

I stared at the large plate, not saying anything for several minutes. The Doctor leaned over towards Amy, "Why isn't she saying anything?" He asked her in a hushed, whisper voice.

Then, my stomach growled loudly -- and painfully. "Doctor?" I finally spoke up, and he smiled again.

_"Yes?"_

"I hope you realize that not all Americans eat just hamburgers and hot dogs and soda..." Amy burst out laughing and a light blush dusted his cheeks. 

"Well, uhm, yes. I know that, but I just thought that, since you, you know, like...-- I mean, I believed it would be..." I laughed at his struggle for words, and took the plate gratefully.

"Thank you, Doctor. I am really hungry, so this helps a lot," I smiled at him, and he beamed. "So, what's happened while I was sleeping?" 

"Oh, a lot," Amy said and began her entire rant on how the Doctor rented a room in an apartment, and how she was stuck in the TARDIS. Then, the two of them went to an underwater city, ironically called _'Atlantis'_ , and met fish-people, and the Doctor played a dangerous game of fish-checkers, and nearly lost. All in all, they had a interesting few days.

"So, what now?" I asked, as I finished off the last hamburger, with a satisfied sigh. 

"Well, I've had a pretty good idea to go, it's absolutely brilliant, if I do say so myself," he stated, puffing out his chest and smiling proudly.

"Okay, cool," I nodded. "How about I go take a shower and I'll meet you two in the console room, deal?" 

"I might join you on that," Amy agreed, and gave the Doctor and I a pointed look. "Don't go exploring new galaxies without me!"

"I second that plea," I agreed, pushing aww from the table. "Give me a half hour."

**•-•-•-•-•**

As promised, about 30 minutes later, I had entered the console room, Amy was already there, talking to the Doctor. "Va-voom!" The Doctor exclaimed as I entered.

"Va-what?" Amy laughed, I noticed that she had placed a familiar shiny object in her jacket pocket.

"What's got you so va-voomy?" I questioned, teasingly.

He grinned at us, "I can't believe I've never thought of this before," he said, pulling a few levers on the console board. "It's genius. Right. Landed. Come on."

"Where are we?" Amy asked, as the Doctor stood by the doors, a smug grin on his face.

"Planet One. The oldest planet in the universe. And there's a cliff of pure diamond, and according to legend, on the cliff there's writing," he explained. "Letters fifty feet high. A message from the dawn of time And no one knows what it says, because no one's ever translated it." He paused for dramatic effect, "Till today."

"And what's going to happen today?" I decided to ask.

"Us," he beamed. "The TARDIS can translate anything. All we have to do is open the doors and read the very first words in recorded history." With that, we ran outside the doors, into a large clearing with woods all around. 

In the distance was a large cliff, but there were words etched into the hard stone. I nearly laughed when I read the clear words in the cliff, having a clue of who would do such a thing.

" **HELLO SWEETIE,** " the stone read in bold, large words.

"Wow," I laughed, "That's... Interesting..."

The Doctor gave a huff in annoyance and reentered the TARDIS, "So, I have a question," I announced, while he went to go fiddle with the controls.

"And what is that?"

"If I were to say something in a different language, would the TARDIS translate it?" I asked curiously. "For example, if I were going to say something in Latin, would you hear it in Latin or in English?"

The Doctor chuckled, "I had a friend who asked the same thing... But ultimately, no, it'll just sound like Latin," I frowned, disappointed. "What were you going to say?"

"Oh, well, um... I think, it goes like this, 'Exorcizamus te... Exorcixamus te omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica'?"

The Doctor stared at me like I had grown another head, and I frowned, " What? Did I pronounce something wrong?"

"Hazel... Why do you know how to exorcise a demon in Latin?" The Doctor asked, carefully, giving me a odd look.

"Oh," I laughed, "Well, I kind of met a few people. There was a thing..."

"A thing!?"

"It was nothing. They're probably dead now," I shrugged. "Maybe. They do it a lot, so it's kind of confusing to keep track... Anyways, graffiti on a cliff by your girlfriend, why would she do that again?"

He puffed out his cheeks, turning back to the console, "River is _not_ my girlfriend." He pulled down a lever and the TARDIS began to rumble and shake again. 

"And I don't have wings," I rolled my eyes sassily, and he shot me a glare, pulling up the lever and the TARDIS stopped shaking.

I stepped out of the TARDIS revealing a large hill, and hundreds of camps in a valley below with soldiers walking between them. 

"Right place?" Amy asked, as we stepped out. The hill was on the edge of a seemingly large woods. 

"Just followed the co-ordinates on the cliff face," he explained, glancing about as well, along with sniffing the air. "Earth. Britain. one oh two am. No, pm. No, _AD._ "

They both looked down to see the large army scuttling around like ants. "That's a Roman Legion," Amy stated, recognizing the flag that waved in the breezy air.

"Well, yeah. The Romans invaded Britain several times during this period," The Doctor explained.

"Oh, I know. My favorite topic at school," Amy boasted with a proud smile. "' _Invasion of the Hot Italians'_ ," I snorted, _what?_ "Yeah, I did get marked down for the title."

"This is why I like you," I laughed, nudging her in the shoulder playfully.

The sound of a horse galloping reached my ears just as a large man on top of a blackish-grey horse with spots. He wore silver amour that glittered in the sunlight and a sheathe containing a sword hung limply by his side. His face and skin was tanned and his lips were smeared with a familiar pink lipstick.

"Hail, Caesar!" He exclaimed broadly with a pounding salute.

"Hi," The Doctor waved awkwardly.

"Welcome to Britain. We are honored by your presence," He greeted.

"Well, you're only human," the Doctor said with a sigh. "Arise, Roman person."

"Why does he think you're Caesar?" Amy asked curiously.

"Cleopatra will see you now."

**•-•-•-•-•**

The soldier, who's name happened to be _'Claudio'_ , led up to a large tent, much larger than any other one that is, it was also surrounded by several soldiers, so I guessed it held someone important.

And my guess was correct because sitting in the middle of the tent on a golden chair was -- _surprise, surprise_ \-- no one other than River Song. She had black dreadlocks in her hair that that had jewelry latched on the ends, and wore a shiny, most likely expensive, golden dress that hugged her chest and hips. Her legs were crossed and her mouth held a delicate, taunting almost, smirk. "Hello, sweetie," she greeted cheerily.

"Hey River," I waved.

"River. Hi," Amy smiled.

The Doctor, on the other hand, was not as welcoming. "You graffitied the oldest cliff face in the universe," he accused in a scolding tone."

"You wouldn't answer your phone," she replied with a small huff, and waved her slaves away. She pulled out a rolled up paper and handed it to the Doctor.

"What's this?" He asked, not opening up the paper just yet.

"It's a painting. Your friend Vincent. One of his final works. He had visions, didn't he? I thought you ought to know about this one," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Doctor? Doctor, what is this?" Amy asked, as he unraveled it, and revealed the painting. River was right, it was Vincent's. It was a version of his swirly blue painting that I saw at the museum, except this one had a all too familiar blue box in the center of it and it was exploding.

"We need to go," River said, getting up. "I want to show you something."

"What is it?" The Doctor asked, watching the woman.

"I'll show you once we get there. It's about an hour from here and I have a few horses we can take."

"Yeah, I'll stay overhead," I suggested, following her as we walked out the tent. 

"Do that if you wish, just stay out of sight and you'll be fine," she agreed. "The soldiers don't exactly have guns, but they may get spooked if they see a gigantic bird in the sky in the shape of a girl."

"Whoa, whoa, wait," Amy said, looking at us. "Since when does River know about... You know, your _wings_?"

"I'm from his future, so I know some of the more important things about Hazel and you, like her extra body parts for example," River answered smoothly.

"Oh, okay," Amy nodded, disappearing inside the shed with the Doctor. River went too, but I held her hand back.

"River, can we talk for a second?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, of course sweetheart," she said, turning around to me. "What do you need?"

" _Answers_. How are you related to Amy, and don't tell me you're not because you two smell too much alike for you not to be."

Her colored lips pressed into a thin line, "I can't. Spoilers."

"It's not possible," I hissed, watching the door. "I know you have two hearts, you're alien, like the Doctor. I just want to know how you can be related to Amy and be like the Doctor at the same time."

River sighed stressfully, "Listen, Hazel. I know you're confused, but I really can't tell you. It might disrupt his future."

I gave her a hard look before looking away. "Fine," I turned on my heel and walked away. "I'll meet you three there." I tore off my jacket and a second later, I was high in the sky, leaving dark feathers behind me.

**•-•-•-•-•**

"There you are," The Doctor said, dismounting his horse. "Where have you been!? I left the stable and you were gone."

"I went ahead," I shrugged, jumping off the rock I sat on top of. 

"How'd you know to come here?" Amy asked as the Doctor and River began to scan the area.

"It was the only place in a 100-mile radius. Everything else was just fields and trees. Plus, River's scent was all over it."

Amy nodded and went to the Doctor and River, "How come it's not new?"

"Because it's already old," River explained. "It's been here thousands of years. No one knows exactly how long."

"Okay, this Pandorica thing," Amy said turning her attention to the woman. "Last time we saw you, you warned us about it, after we climbed out of the Byzantium."

River frowned disapprovingly at the woman, "Spoilers."

"No, but you told the Doctor you'd see him again when the Pandorica opens," Amy continued.

"Maybe I did, but I haven't yet," she explained. "But I will have. Doctor, I'm picking up fry particles everywhere. Energy weapons discharged on this site."

"If the Pandorica is here, it contains the mightiest warrior in history," the Doctor grimaced. "Now, half the galaxy would want a piece of that. Maybe even fight over it. We need to get down there."

**•-•-•-•-•**

" _I'm bo-ooreed!_ " I drawled, sitting on the top of one if the very tall rock pieces. We've been here for HOURS, and there's nothing to do except sit around, waiting for River to setup her metal-machine-button-thingy.

"Then go check the area," Amy sighed, again.

I huffed, standing up, "I've already done that. Three times!" I began to hop from one tall structure to the other. My wings were out just in case I fell. They also helped me balance myself. Amy was watching me, and I grinned, "Amy watch out! The air is lava!"

She rose an eyebrow, "Don't you mean the ground is lava?"

"No, it's the air," I rolled my eyes. " _Duh_."

She chuckled as I continued to jump and leap across the stones. "Don't go falling now, Hazel," the Doctor warned, again. 

"I told you, I won't," I rolled my eyes jumping to the next one. I must have spoken too soon because I slipped and fell off the side, hitting the ground face first and all too soon. 

"What did I say!?" He scolded, coming to my side. I groaned, but a small giggle escaped my lips. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I laughed, standing up and tucking away my wings. "Fallen from worse."

"Like what?"

"Like into your backyard," I winked, and River stood up, slapping dust off her hands.

"Right then. Ready," she announced, turning to the Doctor. The whirring sound of machinery moving filled the air, as the stone wall moved simultaneously, revealing a stone staircase. 

"The Underhenge," the Doctor muttered to himself as we all trotted down the staircase.

The Doctor lit up a torch with his sonic screwdriver. He took another unlit one off the wall and handed it to River. The two of them unbar a large door, revealing a much smaller room, and in the center, there is a shiny, black, square box. "It's a Pandorica," the Doctor said, excitement lacing his voice, as he went over.

The box has some sort of circular code in the front, except it holds a bunch of circles with symbols in-between each one. It's very complex, far too complex for me to understand. "More than just a fairy tale," River breathed, just as excited and amazed as the Doctor.

As the Doctor circled the box, his foot nudged a metal arm on the ground. Wires stuck out of the shoulder part, so I assume there is a matching body somewhere. "There was a goblin, or a trickster, or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies," the Doctor said, picking up the severed arm. "The most feared being in all the cosmos. And nothing could stop it, or hold it, or reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world."

"How did it end up in there?" Amy asked.

The Doctor tossed it away like it was yesterday's trash, "You know fairy tales. A good wizard tricked it."

"I hate good wizards in fairy tales," River made a distasteful face. "They always turn out to be him."

"So, it's kind of like Pandora's Box, then? Almost the same name," Amy said, and I quirked an eyebrow.

"What's the Pandora's Box?"

"Old, Greek story," she answered, a smile tugging her lips at the memory. "Pandora's Box, with all the worst things in the world in it. That was my favourite book when I was a kid," she stopped when the Doctor was giving her a pointed frown. "What's wrong?"

"Your favourite school topic. Your favourite story," he rambles. "Never ignore a coincidence, unless you're busy. In which case, always ignore a coincidence."

"So, how do we get in it?" I questioned, bemused.

"Easily," the Doctor answered. "Anyone can break into a prison. But I'd rather know what I'm going to find first."

"You won't have long to wait," River assured, fingering the seemingly ancient writings. "It's already opening. There are layers and layers of security protocols in there, and they're being disabled one by one. Like it's being unlocked from the inside."

"How long do we have?" The Doctor asked.

"Hours at the most."

"What kind of security?"

"Everything. Deadlocks, time stops, matter lines."

"What could need all that?" The Doctor scoffed.

"What could get past all that?" River asked, twisting his words into a more important question.

"Think of the fear that went into making this box. What could inspire that level of fear?" The Doctor rubbed the box lovingly. I was beginning to think he had a thing for boxes, "Hello, you. Have we met?"

"So why would it start to open now?" 

"Ahem, And how could Vincent have known about it?" Amy asked, crossing her arms on her chest. "He won't even be born for centuries."

"The stones," the Doctor pointed to the great big stones that stood tall on the sides of the room. "These stones are great big transmitters, broadcasting a warning to everyone, everywhere, to every time zone. The Pandorica is opening."

"Doctor, everyone everywhere?" River asked, urgency shining in her voice, but the Doctor didn't seem to notice. 

"Even poor Vincent heard it, in his dreams," he continued. "But what's in there? What could justify all this?"

"Doctor, everyone?" River said again, only to be ignored yet again.

"Anything that powerful, I'd know about it," he frowned, fixing his bowtie. "Why don't I know?"

"Doctor," River stepped in front of him to get his attention. "You said everyone could hear it. So who else is coming?"

He paused, his eyes widening a fraction, " _Oh._ "

"Oh _what?_ " I frowned, an unsettling feeling forming in my chest just by seeing the shock on his face. 

"Okay. If it is basically a transmitter, we should be able to fold back the signal," River said, trying to get a hold of the situation, but the Doctor was two steps ahead of her, and was already sonicking the Sarsen stones, "Doing it."

"Doing _what_?" Amy asked, not understanding their actions.

"Stonehenge is transmitting," River explained, watching the Doctor with anticipation and fear. "It's been transmitting for a while, so who heard?"

"Okay, should be feeding back to you now," the Doctor said, pulling his sonic away. "River, what's out there?"

"Give me a moment," she muttered, typing furiously on her small device. 

"River, quickly. _Anything?_ " He urged frantically.

"Around this planet there are at least ten thousand starships."

" _At least?!_ " Amy demanded.

"Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a _million_ , I don't know," she continued, frustrated. "There's too many readings."

"... _Too many_..." I breathed, running a hand through my hair.

"What kind of starships?" The Doctor demanded.

Suddenly, a electronic voice came from the stone monuments. " **MAIN-TAIN-ING OR-BIT** ," a unknown voice said. Unknown to me at least because at the sound of its voice, River, Amy, and the Doctor paled.

" **I O-BEY** ," Another said, " **SHIELD COVER COM-PRO-MISED ON I-ON SEC-TORS**."

"Daleks. Those are Daleks," Amy said, her voice shaking with withheld fear.

" **SCAN DE-TECTS NO TEM-POR-AL ACT-TIV-ITY**."

" **SOFT GRID SCAN COM-MEN-CING."**

" **RE-VERSE THRUST FOR COM-PEN-SATORY STA-BIL-IZ-ATION**."

"Daleks, Doctor," River reminded, but the Doctor was too busy listening to what they were saying, his face growing paler by the second.

" **LAUNCH PRE-LIM-IN-ARY AR-MA-MENTS PRO-TO-COL**."

"Yes. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Dalek fleet, minimum twelve thousand battleships, armed to the teeth," the Doctor said, nervously. I could hear his hearts beating quickly, he was nervous. Really nervous. " _Ah!_ But we've got surprise on our side. They'll never expect three people to attack twelve thousand Dalek battleships. Because we'd be killed instantly. So it would be a fairly short surprise. Forget surprise."

Then a new voice came in, sounding more computerized than electronic, " _Course correction proceeding."_

"Doctor, Cyberships," River announced dreadfully.

"Cyber what?"

"No, Dalek ships," The Doctor frowned, ignoring my question. "Listen to them. Those are Dalek ships."

"Yes. Dalek ships _and_ Cyberships."

He sighed stressfully, "Well, we need to start a fight, turn them on each other. I mean, that's easy. It's the Daleks. They're so cross."

"Sontaran. Four battlefleets," she continued.

The Doctor grinned like a madman, " _Sontarans_!" He laughed, "Talk about cross, who stole all their handbags?" 

 _"Terileptil. Slitheen, Chelonian, Nestene, Drahvin,"_ she continued, her tone and volume increasing with each syllable. _"Sycorax, Haemogoth, Zygon, Atraxi, Draconian._ They're all here for the Pandorica."

The Doctor turned to the black box, anger and frustration shone on his face, "What are you? What could you possibly be?!"

**•-•-•-•-•**

We raced outside to find hundreds of thousands of space ships lingering in the sky, all buzzing about, "What do we do?" Amy demanded, looking rather nervous.

The Doctor, one the other hand, looked excited, as if he were the main character in the story about to head into battle. I could hear his head pounding with excitement, adrenaline seemed to waft off him, leaving a sharp scent in the air. _If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was ready for a fight._

River seemed to catch onto this too, and frowned. Unlike the Doctor, fear and anxiety seemed to mask her face, but it wasn't for herself, it was for him. She was scared for the Doctor, because she knew he was ready to fight, and maybe lose too. 

This, made me raise an eyebrow in curiosity. _I was able to read the Doctor's emotions from being able to smell the chemicals running in his blood. She seemed used to it, and somehow knew the outcome of situations like this that they seemed to find themselves in. If we weren't in the situation we were in right now, I'd be questioning exactly how well she knew the Doctor._

"Doctor, listen to me," she urged the man, snapping me away from my thoughts. "Everything that ever hated you is coming here tonight. You _can't_ win this. You can't even fight it. Doctor, this once, just this one time, please, you have to run."

"Run _where_?" The Doctor challenged.

"Fight _how_?" She retorted.

"The greatest military machine in the history of the universe," he said, somewhat dreamily.

"What is? The Daleks?" Amy responded, _what was so interesting about the Daleks?_

"No. No, no, no, no, no," he grinned devilishly at her. " _The Romans._ "

**•-•-•-•-•**

River set out to recruit some Romans, while the Doctor, Amy, and I stayed with the Pandorica. Amy and the Doctor talked amongst each other, which I didn't care to involve myself in, so I turned my attention on the box. 

I felt the stones, my fingers lacing over the engraved symbols. I was surprised when I was able to feel metal from inside of the box. _Maybe I could get it out, I mean, it's just rock and metal, what the worst that could happen?_

I placed my hand on the box, closing my eyes and focusing. The metal under and in the rock seemed to pulse with energy and life. I grasped unto the metal, forcing it to come open, but instead, receiving and large electrical shock. 

I screamed as the electricity pulsed through my body, before collapsing on the floor, trying to regain my breath, "Hazel!" The Doctor said, coming to my side, Amy a few steps behind him. 

"Don't touch box..." I slurred deliriously. My brains felt scrambled, charred even, "It's _meean_..."

"You tried to mess with the box, didn't you?" Any scolded, frowning. 

"It was shiny..." I murmured, rubbing my head, quickly gathering my thoughts. I looked over to them, spotting something move on the floor, before it was pointed at us, like a gun. " _MOVE_!" I shouted, just as it fired over our heads. 

We scrambled up, hiding behind the Pandorica as it shot again, "What was that?" Amy hissed.

"Sorry, didn't get a clear look," I apologized, as the Doctor tried to look over, only to have his big nose nearly shot off.

"Okay, I need a proper look. Got to draw its fire, give it a target," the Doctor said.

"How?" Amy demanded. 

"You know how sometimes I have really brilliant ideas?" 

Amy looked at him, nearly smiling, "Yes?"

"Sorry." Then he ran, waving his hands like a madman, screaming, "Look at me, I'm a target!" 

The thing shoots at him, as he hides behind one of the pillars away from view. "What was it?" I hissed, slightly pissed at his idiocy.

"Cyberarm," he gasped, "Arm of Cyberman."

"Is it metal?"

"Yes, but--"

"If I could look at it, I can stop it." 

"Wait, what's a Cyberman?" Amy asked, disturbing our plan.

"Oh, sort of part man, part robot," he shrugged. "The organic part must have died out years ago. Now the robot part is looking for, well, fresh meat."

"What, us?" Amy asked in disbelief, and a bit if disgust.

"It's just like being an organ donor, except you're alive and sort of screaming. I need to get round behind it. Could one of you draw its fire?"

"Do you need it still shooting or can I break it?"

"I can reroute the setting, so I can make it take us to it's body."

"What, like you did?" 

"Please, Amy," I said, in more of a teasing beg.

"You'll be fine if you're quick," the Doctor assured. "It's only got one arm, literally." I chuckled, and Amy rolled her eyes, but goes anyway.

Amy runs, screaming, just as I step out, lifting it up, and the Doctor snatched it out of the air, sonicking it, making it shut down completely.

I laughed, "Doctor?" Amy called worried.

"Teamwork," I smirked, striding over with him. 

"Scrambled its circuits," the Doctor answered, checking it over. "But stay where you are," he added, "It could be bluffing."

" _Bluffing_? It's an arm," Amy scoffed.

"Lemme see," I said, touching the metal. "It's off, but its preserving all its electrical power. It's planning something."

"Doctor?" Amy called again, trying to walk over, but he held a hand out to her.

"I said stay where you are!" 

Then, she is pulled to the ground, "Amy!" The Doctor and I shout simultaneously. I let go of the arm, just as it releases the withheld electricity, and electrocutes the Doctor, knocking him out.

"Doctor!" Amy screamed.

I catch him before he hits the ground, but about to help him when I heard a sharp scream from Amy. 

Running over, I find her battling a head that has wires grabbing unto her. " _You will be assimilated,_ " it's computerized voice ordered.

Amy manages to scoff as I tried to pull the cords away, "Yeah? You and whose body?" 

Then, a headless, armless robot enters the room. An exasperated sigh left my mouth, " _Robots?!_ Are you serious!?" I grumbled as the disembodied head is snatched from Amy, and reattached to the main body. 

Several loose wires from the missing arms come flying as Amy runs away, her steps sluggish and weird. I felt a sharp prick in my neck followed by several more, " _You will be assimilated_ ," The robot ordered, reaching for my neck. 

"No thank you," I replied, raising a hand and pulling the metal inside the robot apart, leaving it to hang in the air. Still-attached wires squirmed under my hold, before they finally broke apart, and falling to the ground hopelessly with the rest of the body. Eventually, the entire metal robot is in a heap of uselessness on the ground. 

"There," I grinned to myself, rubbing my neck. I frowned when I felt something sticky on it, and retracted my hand to find blood coating it. "Damn..." I muttered, feeling the rest of my neck, finding small needles that smelt sharply of blood and sedatives. 

I grimaced, walking over to the door, finding Amy on the ground, with a stranger holding her. "Hey!" I shouted, tackling him to the ground, _another robot thing!?_

Before I was able to pull it's body apart internally, it spoke, "Wait! Wait, Hazel! It's me!" I blinked, remembering that voice all to well. 

" _Rory?_ "

"Hello," he waved.

I pushed him away, standing up shakily. _Ugh, the sedatives are kicking in._ "What the _hell_ , Rory? You're dead."

"Yeah, I thought so too," he muttered, brushing himself off.

I rubbed my head, "This can't be possible. You're...--"

"I know," he said with a sigh, "What will Amy think...?" My eyes widened at the topic, and I turned to the unconscious woman, _she doesn't remember him..._

"Rory, about that--"

"Sir, the man's coming round," a soldier, that I just now noticed was there, announced, just as a disheveled Doctor walked in.

"Amy? Where's Amy?" The Doctor demanded, then he spotted Amy, Rory, and I. 

"She's fine, Doctor," Rory assured, "Just unconscious."

"Okay. Yes, she's sedated, that's all. Half an hour, she'll be fine," he turned to me, seeing the obvious blood on my neck. "Blood. _Blood_. You're bleeding."

"Noticed," I scoffed, rubbing it a bit. "It was the sedatives. It gave me, like, seven of them. If you needed it for something, then sorry. It's scrap metal now."

"You should go lie down. That's too much, even for you."

"Meh, I'll be fine," I shrugged carelessly, ignoring the pounding feeling in my head. "Give me a minute."

The Doctor shook his head, disapprovingly, and tapped my forehead, making everything go black.

**•-•-•-•-•**

I woke up on lying against a wall, the Pandorica rested, still closed, in the center of the room, and the Doctor was running around, talking to what seemed to be himself.

I stood up, shakily walking over. I set aside the throbbing feeling in my head and walked over to the Doctor. "Goodie, you're up," he said, swiveling around. "A lot has happened while you were napping, basically--" he was cut off by me kicking him in the shin. Not enough to break it, though. " _BLOODY_ \-- what the _hell_ was that for!?!" He shouted, holding his wounded shin.

"Don't just put me to sleep without any warning!" I hissed, glaring at him, "I would've been able to walk it off!"

He huffed, rubbing his leg one last time, "Fair enough," he pulled out a blocky electronic device, which I assume was another communicator. "The TARDIS, where is it? Hurry up."

" _Don't raise your voice,_ " River's voice said through the communicator, slightly muffled because the Doctor was holding it next to his ear. " _Don't look alarmed, just listen,_ " she took a deep breath, " _They're not real. They can't be. They're all right here in the story book. Those actual Romans. The ones I sent you, the ones you're with right now. They're all in a book in Amy's house. A children's picture book."_

"What are you even doing there?" The Doctor asked, his voice low, just as she instructed.

 _"It doesn't matter. The TARDIS went wrong,"_ she said, dismissing the subject. _"Doctor, how is this possible?"_

"Something's using her memories. Amy's memories."

I looked around, the soldiers were standing by the door, definitely out of hearing range. _"But how?"_

"You said something had been there."

_"Yes, there's burn marks on the grass outside. Landing patterns."_

"If they've been to her house, they could have used her psychic residue. Structures can hold memories, that's why houses have ghosts. They could've taken a snapshot of Amy's memories. But why?"

I frowned, straining my hearing. I ignored the Doctor's heart, pulsing in my ears and focused on the soldiers. "They're not real," I said, and the Doctor turned to me. "Living, I mean," I corrected, whispering. "They... They don't have hearts."

"Projections, or duplicates," The Doctor answered.

 _"But they were helping us,"_ River insisted. _"My lipstick even worked."_

"They might think they're real," he answered, gritting his teeth. "The perfect disguise. They actually believe their own cover story, right until they're activated."

I gasped, suddenly realizing something, "Where's Amy?"

"With Rory."

 _"The Centurion,_ " River said. _"It's a trap. It has to be. They used Amy to construct a scenario you'd believe, to get close to you."_

"I'm going to Amy," I announced, leaving the Doctor, who didn't object. 

I moved past the soldier easily, watching the other who march past carefully. The vacancy of their hearts disturbed me. _It was silent. Too silent. I could only hear my own heart drumming in my ears._

I grimaced in discomfort, and hurried on, finding a soldier that was guarding the exit, but instead of moving, he stood completely still. "I need to get through," I said, trying to look past him, I could see Amy and Rory sitting on one of the stones just outside of the camp. Even in the darkness, I could see tears glisten on the woman's cheeks. 

"No one is to pass," he droned in a monotonous voice. He pointed his hand at me, his fingers falling to reveal a small gun. I looked around, none of the other soldiers seemed to see, or care for that matter. _He must have been activated earlier._

I glared, " _Move!_ " He stayed still, but now, I could hear sobbing from Amy. Gritting my teeth, I jumped, kicked him under the legs, and kneed him in the chest. With much force, I ripped off its armed arm, luckily finding no blood, and raced over. 

All the soldiers in the valley slumped over, like they were in a much more morbid version of 'touching your toes' exercise. I ran as fast as I could, my wings fluttering nervously in my jacket, "Amy!" 

"There it is," I hear her say through her tears. "You remember. This is you, and you are staying." The sound of a laser zapping reached my ears, just as I reached them. Tears streaked down Rory's face as Amy's weak, dying corpse rested limply in his arms.

"No! No! No!" He cried, pulling her into his chest.

"Amy!!" I cried, my voice cracking with sadness. " **AMY!!** " My eyes glowed yellow, and they set into heavy glare, _this is all my fault! I should've figured out that they didn't have fucking hearts from the beginning! I should have heard it!!!_

I went to Rory, pulling his sword out of its sheathe, and cutting a reasonable slit on my arm, making it bleed heavily. I grabbed Amy, ignoring the stinging pain that raced through my arm doing so. I pulled up her shirt, finding the small hole in her chest that blood still bled out of the fresh wound. 

I put my bleeding arm on her chest, forcing whatever blood I had on it, " _Heal!_ " I said. My chest heaved with panic when nothing happened, " **HEAL, DAMMIT!!** " I screamed, both my arms were covered in my own blood. I can't heal someone that's already dead... "H-Heal, _please_ ," I sobbed. "Amy, _please_ , just heal! **Please**!" 

Tears stained my cheeks and I fell back, my chest heaved with pain and I bit my lip, holding back a scream. "Please, Amy... Just... _Wake up._ It's not-- it's not funny anymore. Just..." I choked on my words, not bothering to wipe the tears away that welled in my eyes. "Don't leave me... Not-not like Laura, not like everyone else... _Please_..." I moved, trying to put whatever blood that l had left on her. "C'mon, Amy! C'mon! You're _not_ dead, not yet! You-you _can't_ be!"

" _Hazel_..." Rory whispered, he sounded broken, anyone would of course, after murdering their fucking wife! "Hazel, just... Stop--"

" **NO!** " I screamed, my eyes were beginning to feel sore from being yellow for so long, " **SHE'S NOT DEAD! I CAN SAVE HER, I CAN--** " my voice cracked more tears pouring out of my eyes, " _I can save her..."_

Rory put Amy in his lap, leaning against the log. I took off my jacket, letting the short, breezy winds sift through my wings. _I didn't care if someone saw me, I didn't care if they screamed or ran away, I don't care anymore._

A long silence fell between us, neither of us knowing what to say, but finally, Rory found his words. "So the universe ended," he said to Amy's dead corpse. "You missed that, in 102 AD. I suppose this means you and I never get born at all. _Twice_ , in my case. You would have laughed at that. _Please laugh_. The Doctor said the universe was huge and ridiculous, and sometimes there were miracles. I could do with a ridiculous miracle about now."

Then, out of nowhere, there is a spark and in a explosion of smoke, the Doctor appeared before us, wearing a red cylinder hat and holding a mop, "Rory! Hazel! Listen, she's not dead," he assured. "Well, she is dead, but it's not the end of the world. Well, it is the end of the world. Actually, it's the end of the universe. Oh, no. Hang on." He checked his wristwatch, and vanished.

" _Doctor?!_ " Rory and I shouted at the same time, equally surprised and very confused.

Then, he reappeared, just without the mop this time, "You need to get me out of the Pandorica," he said, seriously.

"But you're not in the Pandorica," Rory asked, frowning slightly.

"Wait, you're in the Pandorica?!" I asked, very surprised at this, "How?"

"Long story. Don't have time to explain," he rolled his eyes, a bit annoyed. "And, yes, I am. Well, I'm not now, but I was back then. Well, back now from your point of view, which is back then from my point of view. Time travel, you can't keep it straight in your head. It's easy to open from the outside. Just point and press." He tossed Rory the sonic screwdriver and left again. 

Before either of us could say anything, he reappeared. _Again_. "Oh, and when you're done, leave my screwdriver in her top pocket. Good luck," and then he left. 

"What?" I said, speaking our thoughts. 

"What do you mean?" Rory called out to the empty space where the Doctor was. "Done what?"

When there is no answer, we exchanged looks. "Uh... Maybe we should...?"

"Go to the Pandorica?" He finished, "Yeah. I will. You stay here, watch if... You know..." He trailed off, but I knew what he was referring to. He cleared his throat, "Watch Amy. Please."

"I will," I nodded solemnly, and he headed off.

I sat on the log, staring at Amy. I noticed how her fair, brightly colored skin had lost its color and turned a sickish green. I hesitantly brushed my fingers against her skin. Cold. 

I breathed deeply, looking away, focusing my eyes on anything other than that. Other than her. _She wasn't dead, the Doctor said so. She's alive. She's alive..._

 _But... How?_ The small, pessimistic part of me asked, _it's not possible. She's dead, I can see her. I saw her-- ... Rory killed her. She's gone, and I, out of all people, should know and understand that._

I sighed, closing my eyes, the urge to go and fly away had been stronger now than its ever been. J _ust... Forget everything. Just leave. Go. This never happened. She never died. It's all a lie, it isn't real. It isn't..._

"Hazel!" The Doctor's voice shouted from behind me. I turned around to see him jogging over. He looked at me, then looked down at my arm, "Bloody hell, Hazel! What did you do?!"

I blinked slowly, looking down at my arm, that was currently bleeding out. Rory ripped off a long part of his cape, handing it to him, which he used to gingerly wrap it up, "God, Hazel! What were you thinking!?"

I didn't answer, I just stared at Amy. The Doctor sighed, tightly wrapping my arm, and standing up properly. He and Rory started talking, but I tuned them out, blankly staring at Amy. _If I had just noticed... This would never have happened..._

Then, I heard the sound of skin striking skin, and I looked up. Rory was glaring at the Doctor, who was holding a bruising jaw. "She is to me!" He shouted angrily at him, but the Doctor smirked.

"Welcome back, Rory Williams!" He grinned, "Sorry. Had to be sure. Hell of a gun-arm you're packing there. Right, we need to get her downstairs. And take that look off your plastic face. You're getting married in the morning." Then, he picked Amy off the ground and began to walk, "Come on, Hazel," he called, heading back to the Pandorica, with me and a slightly dazed/confused Rory following.

**•-•-•-•-•**

The Doctor set Amy in the Pandorica, the tight metal clasps clamping down on her arms and legs, keeping her bound in there. "So you've got a plan, then?" Rory asked, watching as the Doctor began to fiddle with other things in the box.

"Bit of a plan, yeah," he replied. "Memories are more powerful than you think, and Amy Pond is not an ordinary girl. Grew up with a time crack in her wall. The universe pouring through her dreams every night. The Nestenes took a memory print of her and got a bit more than they bargained for, like you. Not just your face, but your heart and your soul." He pressed his fingers on her temple, closing his eyes, "I'm leaving her a message for when she wakes up, so she knows what's happening."

Then, he steps away, letting the box close, I frowned. "You're just going to leave her?" I asked, confused and a bit angry.

" _No,_ " he rolled his eyes. "I'm saving her. This box is the ultimate prison. You can't even escape by dying. It forces you to stay alive."

"But she's already dead." Rory pointed out, almost remorsefully.

"Well, she's mostly dead," the Doctor corrected. "The Pandorica can stasis-lock her that way. Now, all it needs is a scan of her living DNA and it'll restore her."

"Where's it going to get that?"

"In about two thousand years," the Doctor admitted.

Rory gaped, unable to speak for several moments while the Doctor strapped a watch to his wrist. "She's going to be in that box for two thousand years?" He asked, surprised.

"Yeah, but we're taking a shortcut. River's vortex manipulator. Rubbish way to time travel, but the universe is tiny now. We'll be fine."

"So hang on," Rory frowned, trying to wrap his -- _plastic_ \-- brain around the subject. "The future's still there, then. Our world."

"A version of it," the Doctor answered. "Not quite the one you know. Earth alone in the sky. Let's go and have a look. You put your hand there. Don't worry. Should be safe."

"That's not what I'm worried about," the Doctor frowned, knowing what he was referring to.

"She'll be fine. Nothing can get into this box."

"Well, you got in there."

"Well, there's only one of me. I counted."

"This box needs a guard," Rory stated firmly, his eyes narrowing. "I killed the last one."

"No. Rory, no. Don't even think about it," the Doctor growled frustration creeping in his voice.

"She'll be all alone."

"She won't feel it."

"You bet she won't," he scoffed.

"Two thousand years, Rory. You won't even sleep. you'd be conscious every second. It would drive you _mad_!"

"Will she be safer if I stay?" Rory asked, his green eyes full of determination, but also a hint of desperation shone too, and I know exactly why. He left Amy when he died, not voluntarily, of course, and she forgot about him. He didn't want to lose her again. He loved her and would wait two thousand years for her. "Look me in the eye and tell me she wouldn't be safer."

"Rory, you--"

"Answer me!"

" _Yes_ ," I answered for the Doctor. "If you stay, then she'll definitely be safe."

Rory nodded to me, thanking me for my help, "Then how could I leave her?" He asked.

" _Ugh!_ " The Doctor groaned in frustration, throwing his hands in the air, "Why do you have to be so... Human?"

"Because right now, I'm not," Rory answered smiling at the closed box softly.

"Listen to me" the Doctor warned, grabbing my arm, hovering it over his device. "This is the last bit of advice you're going to get in a very long time. You're living plastic, but you're _not_ immortal. I have no idea how long you'll last. And you're not indestructible. Stay away from heat and radio signals when they come along. You can't heal, or repair yourself. Any damage is _permanent_. So, for God's sake, however bored you get, stay out of--" then we were gone.

**•-•-•-•-•**

I felt like the life was getting sucked out of me, and I had to bite my tongue to keep me from screaming. 

After that horrifying feeling, it stopped, " _Trouble_ ," the Doctor finished. "Oh. Ah, two of you. Complicated."

" _Amy!_ " I cried, hugging her tightly, my exposed wings seemed to rise with happiness. "I thought you were dead!"

"Nice to see you too--"

" _No!_ You're _not_ allowed to die anymore! God, you scared me so much, do you know how scared I was!?"

"Uhh--"

" **EX-TER-MIN-ATE! WEA-PONS SYS-TEMS RE-STOR-ING,** " the robot behind Amy and the little girl exclaimed. It was covered in dusty stone, but it still moved, and waved it's whisk-like machine menacingly. _Honestly, it kind of looked like a peppershaker..._

"Come along, Ponds," the Doctor said, running away from the peppershaker-like alien. 

We ran into another room, with statutes that looked more middle eastern, and the Doctor stole a red hat off one of them. "What is _that_?" I asked as he placed it on his head.

"A fez, have you never seen a fez before?" He scoffed, as if I had just blasphemed. 

I rolled my eyes, "Sorry, I'm not caught up to all the old people fashion."

"Hey! I'm not _old_! _907_ is a very reasonable age!"

"What are we doing?" Amy asked, breaking up our argument.

"Well, we are running into a dead end, where I'll have a brilliant plan, that basically involves not being in one," he winked, and I rolled my eyes.

The little girl looked at me, I just now noticed she's been staring at me this entire time, "You-You have wings!"

"Ah, yeah, I get that a lot," I nodded, smirking a little. "What's your name?"

"Amelia. Amelia Pond."

I opened my mouth to say something, but I was interrupted by a man holding a flashlight, "What's going on?" He called from the darker end of the hallway.

"Get out of here," the Doctor warned. "Go! Just run!" 

" **DROP THE DE-VICE,** " The Peppershaker ordered behind us. 

"It's not a weapon," the Doctor told the Peppershaker. "Scan it. It's not a weapon, and you don't have the power to waste."

There was a pause, the long eyepiece of the Peppershaker that kind of resembled a telescope looked up and down the security guard, " **SCAN IN-DI-CATE IN-TRU-DER UN-ARMED**."

The security guard dropped the flashlight and stepped into the light. _It was Rory!_ "Do you think?" He challenged, his hand coming apart to reveal a small gun, the same one he used to kill Amy with.

He shot the Peppershaker in the end of it's telescope, " **VI-SION IM-PAIRED!** " The Peppershaker cried helplessly, it's voice growing weaker, " **VISI--** " Then it stopped moving, which I assume meant it was dead.

" _Amy!_ " Rory shouted, running over to Amy, who had simultaneously shouted, " _Rory!_ " 

They embraced each other in a joyful reunion, " _I'm sorry_ ," Rory apologized. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. It just happened."

"Oh, shut up," Amy laughed and began kissing him deeply.

I gagged, waving my hand in front of my nose, " _Stop_! The hormones!! _Eww_!!" 

"Yeah, shut up," the Doctor agreed, making a face. "Because we've got to go. Come on."

They ignored him and continued to stink the air with disgusting scent of hormones, "I waited. _Two thousand years_ I waited for you," Rory gave a desperate laugh.

"No, still shut up," and then they're kissing again. 

The Doctor stepped between them, his nose crinkling in disgust as well, "And break. And breathe," he sighed. "Well, somebody didn't get out much for two thousand years."

"I'm thirsty. Can I get a drink?" Amelia -- or Amy, _I'm too confused at this point_ \-- asked.

"Oh, it's all mouths today, isn't it," he rolled his eyes. "The light. The light from the Pandorica, it must have hit the Dalek." As if on cue, the Dalek's weapon moves. 

"Out!" The Doctor ordered, pushing everyone out of the room. "Out! Out!"

**•-•-•-•-•**

We ran until we found a big, open room with a see-through glass roof and a long flight of steps leading to a different room. "So, _two thousand years._ How did you do?" The Doctor asked curiously.

"Kept out of trouble," Rory shrugged.

"Oh," he nodded, "How?"

"Unsuccessfully," he smirked, looking the Doctor over. "The mop!" He pointed to a discarded mop near the side. "That's how you looked all those years ago when you gave me the sonic."

"Ah. Well, no time to lose, then," he picked it up, slinging it over his shoulder, and disappeared. Not two seconds later, he reappeared behind us, putting the mop through the door handles. "Oops, sorry," he flashed away again.

"How can he do that?" Amelia asked, rather fascinated, "Is he magic?"

I scoffed, "He wishes he was."

He reappeared again, and clapped his hands together, "Right, let's go then. Wait! Now I don't have the sonic. I just gave it Rory two thousand years ago." And he zapped away.

"But what about you?" Amelia turned to me. "You have wings, are you magic?"

I smirked, "Nah, I'm too good for magic."

"Right then," the Doctor goes to Amy's pocket, retrieving his 2,000+ year old sonic screwdriver. "Off we go!" He paused, pointing to Amelia. "No, hang on. How did you know to come here?" Amelia flashed him a pamphlet with a sticky note on it, he snatched it, examining it. "Ah, my handwriting. Okay." And he flashed away again.

"How are you _too good_ for magic? How is _anyone_ too good for magic?" She inquired, tilting her head curiously. 

I smiled, "I think that when you achieve your life-long dream, then you're too good for magic because you won't need it anymore because you're already happy. And if you're happy, then you don't need it."

Amelia nodded, "And you did that already?"

"Yep!" I grinned, "But, now I have another one, it's not as big as the first one though."

"I thought you could only have one dream. That's what all the adults say, at least."

"Don't listen to adults. They're stupid and old. You can have as many dreams as you want." Then, the Doctor appeared, shoving a large cup in Amelia's hands.

"There you go. Drink up," he said, handing Amelia the cup and walking ahead.

"What is that?" Amy demanded, "How are you doing that?"

"Vortex manipulator," he answered, simultaneously rubbing his forearm. "Cheap and _nasty_ time travel. Very bad for you. I'm trying to give it up."

"Where are we going?" I asked, glancing back at the door.

"The roof," he answered, then, there is another zap, and at the top of the steps in a disheveled, smoking Doctor. He took a shaky step forward only to trip and plummet down a flight of stone, granite stairs. The Doctor goes over to see if he is still living.

"Doctor, it's you," Rory asked, but made no motion to move. "How can it be you?"

"Doctor, is that you?" Amy asked again when he didn't answer the first time.

"Yeah, it's me," the Doctor said, the cheeriness in his voice had disappeared. "Me from the _future_."

Then, he jumped up, whispering something in the Doctor's ear before falling again. "Are you? I mean, is he, is he dead?" Amy stammered.

"What? _Dead_? Yes, yes," he nodded, jumping up. The fact that the future version himself dying in his arms didn't seem to concern him. "Of course he's dead. Right, I've got twelve minutes. That's good."

"Twelve minutes to live? How is that good?" Amy demanded, rather angrily.

"Oh, you can do loads in twelve minutes," he shrugged. "Suck a mint, buy a sledge, have a fast bath. Come on, the roof."

"We can't leave you here dead!" Rory declared, still staring at his dead corpse.

"Oh, good. Are you in charge now?" The Doctor challenged. "So tell me, what are we going to do about Amelia?" And then the penny drops. We all look around for Amelia, only to find the smaller person missing from sight. The only thing that remained was a empty soda cup lying helplessly on the floor. _She's gone._

"Where did she go?" Rory wondered aloud, still searching with Amy.

" _Amelia!?_ "

"There is no Amelia," the Doctor finally answered. "From now on, there never was. History is still collapsing."

"But how can I still be here if she's not?" Amy demanded.

"You're an anomaly," he answered grimly. "We all are. We're all just hanging on at the eye of the storm. But the eye is closing, and if we don't do something fast, reality will never have happened. Today, just dying is a result. Now, come on!" With that, he raced ahead, taking the steps two at a time, and I followed closely behind him.

**•-•-•-•-•**

Finally, we made it to the roof. I pushed the door open, revealing the bright sunlight, which was odd because it was  just nighttime not ten minutes ago. "What, it's morning already?" Amy asked, having the same thoughts I do. "How did that happen?"

"History is shrinking. Is _anybody_ listening to me?" He huffed, mildly irritated. "The universe is collapsing. We don't have much time left." He walked over, sonicking a satellite dish receiver off its pole.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked.

"Looking for the TARDIS," he answered, pointing it to the sky.

"But the TARDIS exploded," Rory argued.

"Okay then, I'm looking for an exploding TARDIS," he sighed. 

"I don't understand," Amy frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "So, the TARDIS blew up and took the universe with it. But why would it do that? How?"

"Good question for another day," the Doctor nodded, fiddling with his satellite dish. "The question for now is, total event collapse means that every star in the universe never happened. Not one single one of them ever shone. So, if all the stars that ever were are gone, then what is that?" He pointed to the large burning orb in the sky, which was _apparently_ not the sun. "Like I said, I'm looking for an exploding TARDIS."

"But that's the sun," Rory argued.

"Is it?" He quirked an eyebrow, "Well, here's the noise that sun is making right now." He turned up the frequency and suddenly the whirling noise the TARDIS makes filled the air, along with the soft noise of another familiar voice. "That's my TARDIS burning up," he growled bitterly. "That's what's been keeping the Earth warm."

"There's something else," I frowned, straining my ears, but not being able to just quite hear it, but something along the lines of _'Sorry'_ and _'Love'_.

"What?"

"There's a voice," Rory clarified.

Amy frowned, "I can't hear anything."

"Trust the plastic," Rory replied, pointing to his ears as the Doctor increased the frequency. 

" _I'm sorry, my love_ ," River's soft, nearly desperate, voice said on repeat. " _I'm sorry, my love. I'm sorry, my love."_

"Doctor, that's River. How can she be up there?" Amy demanded.

"It must be like a recording or something," Rory frowned, but the Doctor disagreed.

"No, it's not," he muttered to himself, as if he wanted to slap his own forehead. "Of course, the emergency protocols. The TARDIS has sealed off the control room and put her into a time loop to save her. She is right at the heart of the explosion."

" _I'm sorry, my love_ ," River echoes. " _I'm sorry, my love. I'm sorry, my love..._ " Without warning, the Doctor slammed his hand on the vortex manipulator, flashing away, and not ten seconds later, came back with River on his arm.

I crinkled my nose, "You smell like smoke."

She chuckled, "Nice to see you two." She turned to Amy, a grin stretching her features, " _Amy!_ And the plastic Centurion?"

"It's okay, he's on our side," the Doctor assured and she rose a questioning eyebrow.

" _Really?_ "

"Yeah."

"I dated a Nestene duplicate once. Swappable head. It did keep things fresh," I scoffed. "Right then, I have questions, but number one is this. What in the name of _sanity_ have you got on your head?"

"It's a fez," he stated, quite proud. "I wear a fez now. Fezes are cool." 

" _Kill it_ ," I ordered and just like that, Amy snatched it off his head, throwing it over the edge. River whipped out her gun, shooting it into millions of charred pieces. 

"Oh!" The Doctor exclaimed, quite sadly, but then a Dalek -- _apparently not called Peppershaker_ \-- rose above the edge menacingly.

" **EX-TER-MIN-ATE**!" It declared, beginning to shoot at us. I wasted no time taking the satellite dish from the Doctor and formed it into a large shield as we retreated inside.

" _Run, run! Move, move. Go_!" The Doctor shouted, Rory shouting behind him as we disappeared down the staircase.

**•-•-•-•-•**

Once we were safely in the Upper level, Amy turned to the Doctor, a scowl evident on her face. "Okay, tell us," she ordered, leaving no room for argument.

"When the TARDIS blew up, it caused a total event collapse. A time explosion. And that explosion blasted every atom in every moment of the universe. Except..." He trailed off.

"Except inside the Pandorica," Amy answered with a slight of awe.

"The perfect prison," he continued. "And inside it, perfectly preserved, a few billion atoms of the universe as it was. In theory, you could extrapolate the whole universe from a single one of them, like, like cloning a body from a single cell. And we've got the bumper family pack."

"No, no. Too fast. I'm not getting it," Rory frowned.

"The box contains a memory of the universe," he summarized. "And the light transmits the memory, and that's how we're going to do it."

"Do what?" 

I gaped, realizing what he was referring to, "You're going to try to reboot the universe...?"

He grinned, somehow delighted at my ridiculous conclusion. " _Relight the fire. Reboot the universe._ Come on!" He continued to hurry down the hallway, River caught up with him, turning him around to face her. 

"Doctor, you're being completely ridiculous," she hissed. "The Pandorica partially restored one Dalek. If it can't even reboot a single life form properly, how's it reboot the whole of reality?"

"What if we give it a moment of infinite power?" He challenged, "What if we can transmit the light from the Pandorica to every particle of space and time simultaneously?"

"Well, that would be _lovely_ , dear," she rolled her eyes, sarcasm lacing her voice. "But we can't, because it's completely impossible."

"Ah no, you see, it's not. It's _almost_ completely impossible," he winked, the grin not leaving his face for a second. "One spark is all we need."

"For what?"

"Big Bang _Two_! Now listen--" a zapping noise filled the air, and collided with the Doctor's chest. 

" **EX-TER-MIN-ATE! EX-TER-MIN-ATE!!** " It screeched maniacally.

"Get back. River, get back now!" Rory shouted, holding out his finger-gun.

" **EX-TER-MIN-ATE!** " It screamed again before Rory shot it in the telescope-thing, powering it down.

" _Doctor?_ " River fell to his side as the Doctor gasped for the air that was quickly leaving his lungs. "Doctor, it's me, River. Can you hear me? _What is it? What do you need?_ " He slammed his hand on the vortex manipulator, flashing away.

"Where did he go?!" River shouted, her fists clenching. "Damn it, he could be anywhere."

"He went downstairs," Amy answered, "Twelve minutes ago." This is enough for me, because I am already sprinting down the hall, blinking away the tears welling in my eyes.

**•-•-•-•-•**

They caught up with me just as I entered the main room. I fled down the steps only to see the Doctor's body missing, all that remained was Rory's coat.

"How could he have moved?" Rory demanded, picking his coat. "He was dead. Doctor? _Doctor!_ "

"But he was dead!" Amy said, looking as well. 

"Who told you that?" River asked coldly.

"He did."

"Rule one. _The Doctor lies._ "

"Where's the Dalek?"

"It died," I opened up the door to the hall where the Pandorica was. The Doctor was inside the Pandorica, messing with something. "Found him!" I announced, racing down the hall, "God, Doctor, what were you _thinking_?! Don't scare me like that!" I scolded. Then, I realized that he was unconscious and gasped. I quickly checked his pulse. _Alive. Still living. Good._

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, running in as well.

"Why did he tell us he was dead?" Rory asked, stepping in time behind Amy.

"We were a diversion," Amy explained, anger tuning her voice. "As long as the Dalek was chasing us, he could work down here."

"Doctor, can you hear me?" River asked, "What were you doing?"

The light from the exploding TARDIS brightened the room significantly, "What's happening?" Rory asked, seeing the growing light as well.

"Reality's collapsing," River answered grimly. "It's speeding up. Look at this room." We glanced around, now noticing the room full of 'artifacts' were bare.

"Where'd everything go?" Amy asked.

"History's being erased," River's voice grows more worried and more frantic with every word. "Time's running out. Doctor, what were you doing? Tell us. Doctor!"

"... _Big Bang Two_ ," the Doctor said in a sotto tone, his voice very weak.

"The Big Bang. That's the beginning of the universe, right?" Rory asked.

"What, and Big Bang Two is the bang that brings us back?" Amy gritted her teeth, looking back at the Doctor. "Is that what you mean?"

" _Oh_ ," River gasped, her eyes widened.

"What?" 

"The TARDIS is still burning. It's exploding at every point in history. If you threw the Pandorica into the explosion, right into the heart of the fire..." River trailed off.

"Then _what_?" I demanded.

"Then let there be light," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "The light from the Pandorica would explode everywhere at once, just like he said."

"That would work?" Amy asked, "That would bring everything back?"

"A restoration field powered by an exploding TARDIS, happening at every moment in history," she smiled softly. "Oh, that's brilliant. It might even work. He's wired the vortex manipulator to the rest of the box."

"Why?" I asked.

"So he can take it with him. He's going to fly the Pandorica into the heart of the explosion."

**•-•-•-•-•**

After River finished what the Doctor started, everyone was standing around, waiting. River, Amy, and Rory talked amongst themselves while I waited beside the Pandorica, waiting.

" _Hazel_ ," the Doctor's gravelly voice called, and I whipped around to him. "The girl with wings," he smiled. "Someday, you'll have to tell me the full story."

I smiled softly as well, " _Yeah..._ I'll take you out to a Starbucks in America and I'll tell my about my adventures running away from Erasers." I paused, "Do you still have that feather I gave you?" I looked down at his pocket, where the end of the brownish-black speckled feather poked out. 

"Good," I nodded firmly, trying to hold back the tears growing in my eyes. "That's a lucky feather. I escaped the School with those feathers," I sniffed. "That feather is going to help you, I swear. Some _how_ , some _way_ , you're going to be safe, I know it. As long as you have that feather, you can escape your prison."

He laughed softly, "Look at that, your crying over me. Whatever happened to that tough personality that I saw when I met you?" I laughed as he continued, "You kicked the head of a Weeping Angel off! Remember that?"

"I remember," I nodded, a few tears trailing down my cheek. "My foot still hurts from that." There was a short pause, and I sucked in my breath. "Doctor?"

"Yes, Hazel?"

"I love you, okay? I care for you. You're my friend."

He nodded, smiling too, "... _Ditto_." I chuckled, standing up, "Bring Amy in here, I want to talk to her before I..." He trailed off and I nodded, understanding his words. 

I patted his hand softly before leaving the room, "Amy, he wants to see you," I called, and she nodded, going to the Pandorica to talk.

I stood near the wall, waiting silently, and River strode over. "You okay?"

"I'll manage."

"I'm not supposed to tell you this, but... In the future, you make a big impact on his life," she smiled. "You're like a daughter to him."

I smirked, pride swelling in my chest but I suppressed it. "Hey, _spoilers_."

She chuckled, "You're an amazing person, you know."

"Thank you, I try," she scoffed.

"No, really though. After all you've been through... You told me what happened, in the future, I mean." She smiled down at me, "You're a brilliant person."

I chuckled, rubbing my neck sheepishly, "Thanks. You're... Not too shabby yourself," I awkwardly lightly punched her upper arm and she chuckled. 

I turned around, noticing that the end of the hallway had disappeared. The door, the stands, everything. It wasn't only the artifacts disappearing, it was the entire building. 

"Doctor! It's speeding up!" River called, moving forward to get Amy. The Pandorica begins to close with the Doctor inside. "Back! Get back!" River shouted as the Pandorica takes off. 

A text message alert from River disrupted our silence and she pulled out a phone, "It's from the Doctor," she said. 

"What does it say?" Amy asked, I now notice the tears that traced her cheeks.

" _'Geronimo'_." And then, everything, every second of time and space, seemed to explode at the same time.

**•-•-•-•-•**

I beat my wings as fast as I could, gripping my bleeding arm tightly. I heard the Flyboys behind me quickly gaining. A loud gun shot rang across the brisk autumn atmosphere again, and a sharp pain went through my leg. 

 _I was going to die,_ I thought, as I flew as fast as I could. _I had nowhere to go, and there were god knows how many Flyboys chasing me!_ I scanned the ground, only finding houses, that look occupied and huge trees.

I scowled and quickly took a sharp right, _the least I could do was shake them off my tail._ My wild curly brown hair flung as I twisted in the air, going the opposite direction. 

_Okay, plan. I need a plan. First, shake off Flyboys. Second, get out of this area. Third, find shelter. Germany maybe? I heard that they had been seen somewhere in Germany, so I should probably--_

My planning was cut off by a loud gunshot going off, and lodging itself in my wing. My eyes widened and I screamed in pain. My wing curled reflexively, and I fell out of the sky quickly. With only one wing, it would be literally impossible to get out of here. I glanced up to see the Flyboys diving at my body that was rapidly losing altitude. 

My body limply fell through few trees, scratching my body up more than it already had been. When I hit the ground, a white-hot, blinding pain struck through my wing. 

I looked up, something in me expected a bright blue box to help me escape my captors, but instead I was met by the darkness of night as I slipped into unconsciousness.

**•-•-•-•-•**

I woke up in a room, my arms and legs tied to a wooden chair. My mouth gagged tightly. I tried to move my wings, only to find that they were stuck together. 

A growl rose in my throat, "Don't try to get out," a silky voice of a woman said, stepping in my vision. Long brown hair fell delicately over her shoulders and her eyes a matching hazel brown set into a cold, deductive stare. "No metal as of 10 miles from here. And, of course, if you can't speak then you can't entice anyone now can you, _Subject 63-1a?_ " I hissed at her, at least as well as anyone who's been gagged could. 

"Oh, I nearly forgot. If you try to go invisible, well, we have something for that too." She snapped her fingers and suddenly electricity raced through my body. I gritted my teeth, biting my lip til it bled. Finally, it stopped and I let out a gasp that I didn't realize I was holding. Smoke from my burning flesh reached my nose making me crinkle it in disgust.

"Now, now, don't be like that," the woman teased, gripping my leg. White-hot pain seared through my body and I screamed, gasping for air, squeezing my eyes shut. After what seemed like forever she loosened her grip, "I know what you're trying to do. You're looking for Maximum Ride, aren't you? You must know something about them, correct?" I said nothing, only continued to glare at her, so she continued.

"I'm sure we can come to an agreement," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest. "You tell me where they are, and I don't kill you." I scoffed, _yeah. Like I'll do that. You won't kill me, you'll just hand me over to the Whitecoats who'll experiment on me again, to the point where I wish they'd kill me._

At my silence, she sighed, "I have other means of getting the information out of you," she said, clapping her hands. I expected another bout of electrical energy, but instead a door opened, revealing two very large Erasers. "When you're done, get we ready to go. We're leaving in an hour."

"Yes, Doctor Fiona," the two answered. Then, she exited the room with a smirk on her face.

I glared at the two Erasers, who had menacing smirks on both their faces, "I guess we get to play with a Songbird," Dummy #1 teased, cracking his knuckles. His mouth twisting into a yellow-toothed gleaming grin.


	11. chapter eleven:

**Chapter Eleven:**

Doctor's POV

He, Amy and Rory returned to the TARDIS, deciding to ditch their wedding. "So, as a wedding gift, where would you like to go?" He asked, racing the TARDIS, "We could go to the depth of the Atlantic ocean or the first Anti-grav Olympics. Honestly, I rather like the Anti-Grav Olympics. I stole a motorbike from there. Oh, I know! We could--" he stopped himself midsentence, his eyes widened. " _Oh dear._ "

"What?" Amy asked, a bit concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I seem to have forgotten someone very important," he said, typing into his typewriter frantically. "Someone really, _very_ important."

"Who?" Rory asked, "River? I think I saw her at the party."

"No, not River," he turned to two newly weds, a frown etched on his face. _"Where's Hazel?"_

A collective silence fell between the three and he continued to type, "She's not showing up in the system, it's like she's never existed."

"Maybe she's flying somewhere?" Amy suggested, but he shook his head, he had already hacked into the satellites circling the globe and any other CCTV camera.

"There's no suspicious movement there either," he gritted his teeth. "If I had something of hers, I could do a DNA scan."

"What, like a shirt she wore?" Rory asked, but he shook his head again.

"No, no. Something she grew, like a hair or a--" He paused, digging through his top pocket.

"Like what?" Amy asked as he pulled out the unnaturally large feather.

"Like a feather!" He smirked, mentally thanking her.

"Why do you have her feather on you?" Rory asked, suspicion rising in his voice.

He rolled his eyes, placing the feather delicately on the scanner, "She gave it to me," he answered. "For good luck, apparently, and I have to say, it _certainly is_ lucky." He quickly got a match, and wasted no time flying over in the TARDIS.

"So, where is she?" Amy asked once they had landed.

"Empty cabin in the middle of nowhere," he answered, going to the door. "She's probably asleep or something," he said, opening it and stepping out, "So be--" he stopped himself staring at what sat in front of him.

Hazel was tied a wooden chair, her wings duck taped together, but you could see blood staining the silver tape in several places. Her mouth was gagged, refraining her from speaking and her arm was bleeding as well. Her wrist bent into a unnatural angle. Her face was bruised and bloody, one of her eyes swollen shut. She looked completely in agony, but as soon as the three of them stepped in her vision, she flinched, but glared at them anyway, her finger twitching every now and then.

"Oh, my god," Amy gasped as the Doctor began to untie the girl from the chair. "What--"

"We were never in your backyard to save her," he answered, his eyes full of anger. "What ever was chasing her got to her when we couldn't."

Once she was out, they quickly brought her into the TARDIS, the Doctor easily parked her to orbit the earth, and then rushing her to the Sick Bay.

Suddenly, she jerked in his arms, her wing moving, only to have her gasp in pain, squeezing her eyes shut, "Don't move," he ordered, as they entered the room.

He laid her carefully on the bed as Rory began to check her vitals and chest. "She's fine, mostly. There's bruising near the chest and... I think she broke a rib," he moved to her arm, "Her wrist is definitely broken, don't let her move it, and her arm has a cut on it too..." he went to her excessively bleeding leg. "Her leg's bleeding and... There's a bullet hole in the back of her thigh... She was shot, but I don't think the bullet's still there." He went to check her face, "Swelling on her right eye and a lot of bruises."

"What about her wings?" Amy asked, biting her nails.

Rory nodded, going to her wings, but as soon as he touched it, she hissed, moving away. Her entire body shook, and she rubbed her wing, somehow trying to claw through the adhesive and rubber. "I can't look at them with the tape," Rory sighed.

He whipped out his sonic and sonicked it, causing the tape to slip off. "How'd you do that?" Rory asked.

"Vibrated the atoms in the adhesive until it evaporated away," he said, beginning to take the un-sticky tape off.

Her wings were a mess, blood coated her brown and black feathers, her right wing was bent at a awkward angle that he could barely touch, and there was a small bullet holes in the same wing, where she had been shot.

"Oh, Hazel," he sighed dismally as Rory checked her wing.

"Definitely another bullet wound and she broke it... It's fixable, though. Should heal over time..." the Doctor nodded.

"I'll have the TARDIS put her in a stasis chamber, it'll help heal her wounds," he nodded, typing something into the computer. "She should be fully healed in a few hours, but for now she needs to rest." He tapped her forehead, mentally shutting her down.

"Do you have morphine or some pain killers? It should help her sleep better," Rory suggested, and he nodded, searching through the cabinets, tossing the man medical supplies, which he barely caught.

After she was all set up, he ushered the two out of the room, so she could sleep peacefully. Amy argued this at first, but after a bit of persuading from her husband, she agreed, and three left the girl to sleep.

**•-•-•-•-•**

3rd POV

The Doctor received an alert from the TARDIS signaling that Hazel had awoken. Amy and Rory had already been sleeping and he was tinkering in the bottom level of the TARDIS.

He decided against going to wake the others up and hurried down the hall and to the sick bay. He slowly opened the door, "Haz--" his words were cut short when a sharp blade raced past his face, hitting the edge of the door.

"That was a warning shot," Hazel's cold voice stated, her back turned to the door so she wasn't facing him, but she moved to get up and stare at him. The swelling on her face went down significantly only leaving bruises and pink lines from cuts. "Next time I **won't** miss."

"Hazel--"

"I am only going to ask this once," she continued, crossing her arms across her chest, a sharp pain going through her injured arm, but she didn't show any signs of complaint. "Who are you and where am I?"

"I'm the Doctor," he said quickly, pulling the knife out of the wall, dropping it on the ground distastefully. "You're in my TARDIS. Hazel, something happened, the universe kind of got rebooted, you probably don't remember me but--"

"You're from the School?"

"No!" He shook his head frantically, remembering her somewhat vague description of the School. "Never--"

"How do you know _'Hazel'_ then?" She demanded, "How'd you know that name?"

"You told me," he replied, trying to take another step, but she quickly brought out another knife.

"Stay where you are if you don't want a knife lodged in your skull," she warned with a slight growl, and he rose his hands to surrender.

He sucked his teeth, "Hazel, you're my friend. You just don't remember because it never happened."

Her face twisted into slight confusion, "What?"

"I know, it sounds absolutely mad, but it's true. I'm the Doctor, remember?"

"Why would I ever be friends a man named _'the Doctor'_?" She sneered, "If you know me then you should know my relationships with... _Whitecoats_ ," her voice was tuned with disgust and a level of anger that he has never seen before.

"I'm not a Whitecoat--"

"We're in a hospital and your name is the Doctor," she challenged sarcastically. "Tell me how that doesn't sound Whitecoat-ish to you, I'm curious."

The Doctor went into his pocket, pulling out the feather she gave him, "See? You gave me this," he insisted, but her eyes narrowed.

"My feathers would be all in my file so of course you would be able to get one."

He gritted his teeth, "Laura Dawner, a veterinary nurse. After being shot out of the sky, she nursed you back to health with her boyfriend," he didn't want to remind Hazel of this, but he needed someway to tell her that he wasn't a threat.

Hazel froze, her eyes widened before narrowing to slits, "How the hell do you know that?" She growled.

"Then, she and her boyfriend were held hostage by Erasers," he dreadfully continued. "And the Erasers killed all three of them."

At this point, she was surprised. She never told anyone of that and those three Erasers were rouges, their assignments said nothing about killing the three humans, so the School never found out. That, or they just didn't simply care for that matter. So the fact that some weird madman by the name of the Doctor, one of the things she hated most in life, knew something so personal as that and claimed that she told him -- willingly or unwillingly -- was nothing short of astounded.

"Who are you?" Hazel asked shakily, dropping the knife, making him somewhat relax.

"I'm the Doctor," he said, stepping forwards, "And I am your friend."

**•-•-•-•-•**

Hazel's POV

After his explanation, I was speechless. He was apparently an alien that traveled through time and space. And, we weren't in a hospital, which would explain the lack of other nurses/doctors and the surreal other machinery that I definitely knew wasn't in regular hospitals. Apparently, the universe was rebooted causing me, and two others, to completely lose our memories of him.

"So..." He said, now sitting on the chair beside the bed. My knife was still on top of the covers, under my hand, just in case someone -- _or thing_ \-- decided to enter the room. "What do you think?"

"How did you find me?" I asked.

"Worldwide DNA scanner on the TARDIS's console," he replied. "I used the feather you gave me."

I nodded. "I can share the memories with you, if you want," he suggested and I rose an eyebrow. "Touch telepath. It's a time lord thing."

I nodded, hesitantly, and the Doctor leaned close and without warning banged his forehead on mines.

I yelped in shock, falling back. Memories seared through my head, memories that I didn't even know existed, that shouldn't exist. Memories that brought tears to my eyes and struck pain through my heart. Memories that made me want to laugh and smile. Memories that brought emotions that I didn't even know I was capable of having.

And I couldn't deny it, it was all true. So, I stared at the Doctor with wide eyes and my mouth gaping. "... Hazel?" He said, his voice holding a certainty for confusion.

Without warning, I slapped him. Straight across the face, making him turn and hold his cheek in pain. "Wha--"

"YOU **BASTARD**!" I nearly screamed, "What the _hell_ were you thinking going off in the Pandorica like that!? You could have been hurt or-or died! You should've came to me, I could have healed you, but no! You just had to go play hero, didn't you!? Give me a _fucking_ _heart attack,_ why don't you!?" I huffed, sitting back on the bed, my hand still stinging from slapping him so hard.

"Are you done?" He asked, with a slight laugh. I rolled my eyes as he shifted his jaw, rubbing his cheek. "Bloody hell, that hurt. I've been slapped a lot, and that really hurt."

"Not exactly human," I shrugged a bit. "Much stronger than the normal person."

"How much?"

"Uh... To put it in words... I could probably beat 10 grown men, maybe 12." He scoffed at my exaggeration.

"Nice to see you're back," he nodded and I smirked.

"Nice to know that you're still as much as an idiot," he rolled his eyes, and I chuckled. "But really, it's good to see you, Doctor."

"You too..." He cleared his throat, now looking at me seriously, "What happened back there? Why were you--"

"Bloody and bruised?" I finished with a scoff. "Wrong place, wrong time."

"What happened?"

"Flyboys caught me -- they're like Erasers with wings, specially made to take out avians. Took me to this stupid bitch that wanted me to spill some stuff on Maximum Ride."

"Did you?" I scoffed.

"I'm no snitch. And my resources are very secret. If someone found out that I said something, I'd be killed."

"It's that serious?" I nodded, "Then, why are you telling me?"

"I... Trust you..." I mumbled but by the look on his face, I know he heard me.

"You trust me?" He rose an eyebrow, questioningly, and I shrugged, too embarrassed to say it again. "What's your real name?" This caught me off guard, and I stared at him, confused.

_"What?"_

"Your name isn't Hazel. What's your real name?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Hazel, don't lie to me." His stare was serious, he didn't look angry, he was just... Hurt.

I frowned at him, but finally, I sighed, my stare falling to the covers on the medical bed. "The truth is... I don't... Have one."

He frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't have a 'real name'. I wasn't given one," I scoffed, twisting my fingers over the blankets. "The Whitecoats called me 'Subject 63-1a', Laura knew me as Destiny, you call me Hazel. I probably have, like, twenty others that I use because if I keep the same name too many times..." I trailed off.

"They would have a better chance at finding you," the Doctor finished. "So your name isn't Hazel?"

"My name is whatever the hell you want to call me," I shrugged. "It's just a title. A name doesn't describe a person. It's what you do that counts."

The Doctor gave me a proud smile, "Who told you that?"

"No one," I replied, "I learned it for myself."

His smile grew, "You're a smart girl, Hazel."

I smirked, "Ditto."

He laughed, "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," I replied. "But I didn't want to exactly move since my arms are full of needles -- which, by the way, bad idea. It's taking every single urge in my body not to scream right now."

He rose an eyebrow, "You're afraid of needles?"

I rolled my eyes, "I grew up in a dog cage and was experimented on. Yeah, I'm scared of needles, sue me."

He scoffed, "They're making sure your getting morphine and other pain-killy stuff, so they gotta stay."

"How much morphine? I feel fine."

"Rory gave you three times the normal amount, just in case."

I shrugged, "I don't feel it, besides," I swung my legs out of the bed and moved to stand up. "I don't need--" as soon as my feet touched the ground, a flood of nausea came over me. My knees turned to jelly, and I nearly collapsed on the ground, had the Doctor not caught me.

"What were you saying?" He asked smugly and I weakly hit him on his arm.

"Shut up," I hissed, moving back on the bed. "Rory probably just gave me too much."

"You should sleep it off," the Doctor suggested, but I shook my head.

"I feel fine," I muttered with a small pout, but the Doctor was having none of it.

"Sleep or I'll put you to sleep," he warned, but I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, whatever. But I'm not doing this because you said so."

"Whatever you say, Hazel," he chuckled, leaving the room with me falling into my dreams.

**•-•-•-•-•**

_I was standing on top of a bright green hill with small flowers that bloomed through the green grasses in small patches. I could hear birds singing in the air that harmonized with the bugs chirping. Soft clouds floated across the baby blue sky that occasionally passes over the sun, blocking out the soft rays of sunlight._

" _Destiny_?" _Laura's kind voice called behind me._ " _Destiny_!"

 _A smile grew on my face at the sound of her silky voice,_ " **Laura** ," _I called back, turning around._

_And suddenly, everything looked like hell._

_The green grasses were shriveled up around my feet, creating a large patch of yellow, dead grass. The sky was no longer blue but a morbid blood red. The birds that were once singing so happily were falling out of the sky, their necks bent at unnatural angles._

" _Destiny_!" _Laura called again, her silky voice replaced with a desperate tone as if to call out for help._

" **Laura**!" _I called back, running up the hill, but suddenly my feet began to sink into the ground. I look down to see my feet encased in a red liquid._ ** _Blood_** _._

_"_ **_DESTINY_ ** _!" Laura's voice called again, now sounding like a scream of bloody murder._

_"_ **_LAURA_ ** _!" I screamed back, now shoving off my jacket that held back my wings. I tried to flap so I could fly to her, but it didn't work. That familiar feeling I felt when the wind went through my wings weren't there._

_Shakily, I looked back to see my wings, weren't wings anymore. It was just a bone, the skeleton of my wing, and my feathers laid separately on the ground, as if I just shook them off._

_I gasped, turning back around to see Laura, or at least the hellish version of her. Her eyes were gone revealing soulless pits, her neck held a long, jagged line, with blood still somehow pouring out of it. Her entire stomach was gone, leaving a gaping holes, and in her hands held a small person. An unborn baby._

**_"You were supposed to save me,_** _"_ _she whispered, and fell to the ground, but I move to catch her as she fell._

_When I looked back down, Laura was really Amy. Her ivory skin gone pale, her lips blue. Her forest green eyes where dull, glazed, and seemed to stare into the deepest hell of my soul. Her mouth open, as if she were screaming and a hand covered her lower abdomen. Underneath it was a blossom of crimson red blood._

**"A-Amy?** _" I said, in a hushed, scared whisper._

_A single tear gathered in her dead eyes and rolled down her face. Her mouth began to move, like a puppet's would when their master controls it, and out spilled monotonous whispers that seemed to chant in my mind,_ **_"You were supposed to save me."_ **

**"Amy--"**

**_"You were supposed to save me."_** _The chant seemed to grow with every word as more voices joined along, some I knew all too well, others I thought I would never hear from again._

**"I couldn't--**

**_"You were supposed to save me."_ **

**"You were already dead. There was nothing--"**

**_"You were supposed to save me."_ **

**"I tried to, I really did but--"**

**_"You were supposed to save me."_ ** _I felt like the entire world had weighted itself on my shoulders. I didn't save Amy and now look what I did! Everything burns because of me! Because I didn't try harder, because I couldn't try harder! I didn't succeed, I didn't do better, and now everyone has to suffer for my mistake._

_I was supposed to save her, and I_ **_failed_ ** _._

**"... I'm sorry..."** _I finally said, a tear streaking my cheeks helplessly dropping on hers._

**_"You were supposed to save me."_ **

**•-•-•-•-•**

" _Hazel_!" The Doctor called and I shot straight up, gasping hungrily for air. A hand held my chest as I tried desperately breathe. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest as fear coursed through my body.

"Hazel, it was just a nightmare," The Doctor said, who was sitting by my side.

I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came. My throat choked up, and sweat dripped off my forehead. My hands became clammy, "Hazel, talk to me," the Doctor said, sounding very worried.

"I'm fine..." I finally said, "I'm fine. It was just... It was just a nightmare..."

The Doctor stared at me as I tried to calm myself down, "You wanna talk about it?" He asked.

"No... I'm," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I'm fine." I looked around, trying to ignore my still shaking hands. "What time is it?"

"Well, the TARDIS doesn't exactly..." He trailed off, "It would be around eight A.M. in London."

I nodded, rubbing circles on my wings, "If you want to go back to sleep the--"

"No!" I shouted, my eyes grew wide before looking away at the ground, twisting my fingers. "I-I mean, I'll just get ready for the day and make some breakfast, or something."

The Doctor rose a questioning eyebrow, but nodded, "I'll leave you to get dressed. You remember how to get back to the kitchen, right?"

"Yeah," I gave a small nod, and he got up and left to room, leaving me to get dressed in silence.

**•-•-•-•-•**

When I came into the kitchen, the Doctor was already sitting at the table, a bowl of... Unknown substance sitting in front of him. "Good morning-- well, actually, it's not exactly morning. The TARDIS doesn't exactly have morning or night, in the time vortex -- that's where we are now -- it's more of a mixture of every second single in reality..."

"Okay, then good time-after-you-woke-up too," I nodded with a small smirk and going to the seemingly endless fridge. My eyes seemed to fall on one thing that made them widen to saucers, "' _PANCAKES_ '!?"

I snatched the red and orange pancake out of the fridge and set it one the counter, the grin not falling from my face. " _YOU HAVE PANCAKES_?!"

"Uhm, yes?"

"I **love** pancakes!" I grinned, pulling out a bowl and a spoon.

"You do?" I nodded eagerly, and he laughed.

I began to put the mix in the bowl, followed by a bunch of water, "Shouldn't you be measuri--"

I gasped loudly, "You have _spices_!" I dashed to the other side of the kitchen, grabbing several spices that I deemed worthy out, and then going back to the bowl and pouring those in as well.

"Hazel, I really think you should measure--"

"Do you have chocolate?" I asked, "I once had these pancakes with chocolate inside of them, I didn't even know that was possible!" I went to go back and raid the cabinets.

"Uhm, yes, we do but, Hazel--"

" _FOUND IT!_ " I declared, sprinting back over to the bowl, and dropping the chocolate bar inside the liquids substance. Then, I turned the stove on, placed a skillet on top. Then, I poured my concoction into the skillet and waited for it to cook.

"Hazel..." The Doctor sighed deeply. "I don't think you should--"

"You know, I never actually had the chance to make pancakes before," I interrupted him, with a small smile. "The first thing I had when I escaped the School was pancakes. They were cooked by a local café about a few states over from the School. When I came in I looked like... Well, a mess. I was dirty and exhausted and didn't know a single thing about the outside world. Luckily, I stole a hoodie from the back of some guy's pickup, so she didn't see my wings.

"When I came in, she thought I was kidnapped or something, I was only about nine or ten at the time. I sat down and asked for food, I didn't know that I needed money to buy it either. The lady who owned the café was Nan Butler. She put a plate of hot pancakes in front of me and a cup of orange juice and let me eat for free," a smile broke out on my face, and I let out a soft laugh. "She tried to get me to tell her what happened to me, but I refused to tell her. When I finished, she gave me sixty dollars, after explaining currency to me, of course, and let me leave."

I looked back at the Doctor, who was silently listening to my story, "So, anyways, thanks a lot. I probably won't get them nearly as good as Nan's though," I paused. "Oh, sorry, were you going to say something?"

"Ah no, I wasn't-- you just, make your pancakes," he stammered, looking back down.

I shrugged, and turned back to the stove, ignoring the burning smell that seemed to radiate from my food.

**•-•-•-•-•**

"Do you even _KNOW_ how to make pancakes!?" The Doctor nearly shouted, as he tried to fan away the growing fire on the stovetop.

"It looked fairly easy!" I huffed, sitting on the chair as the Doctor dumped the burning pan in the sink and then turning it on full blast.

"Can you even cook?!"

"... Maybe...?"

" _MAYBE_?!"

"Apparently, it's easier said than done!"

"You nearly burned my TARDIS!"

"Hey! I didn't mean to--" I cut myself off when the stove began to catch fire, again. The Doctor was quick to react, pulling a fire extinguisher out from a cabinet off to the side, and spraying the stove top.

The Doctor glowered at me, but I was too busy giggling my head off. "What's going on in here?" Amy asked as she and Rory stepped into the kitchen. She must've seen the steaming stove and the smoking skillet in the sink because her mouth turned into a frown. "What is going on? Why do I smell smoke?!"

I began to laugh harder causing the two to stare at me. "What's up with her?" Rory asked, "In fact, why are you even out of bed?! You're still hurt!"

"I-I'm fine," I wheezed, wiping tears from my eyes.

"What did you two burn?" Amy asked concernedly.

"Pancakes," the Doctor grumbled bitterly. "Hazel wanted to make some all by herself!"

"I was close!"

"You nearly burned down the entire kitchen!" He hissed, "And you would've if I didn't step in!"

"Where are my pancakes?" I asked.

"'Pancakes'? You mean pile of ashes?!"

" _Yes_!"

"In the rubbish bin!" I glared at him, glancing over at the silver bin, and sure enough, my pancakes were on top. "I'll make pancakes."

I puffed out my cheeks, turning away, "I don't want your pancakes!"

"Well, then I guess you're not getting any pancakes then!" I turned back to glare at him, just as he did as well. We were able to keep perfectly straight faces for a full thirty seconds until finally, we both broke out into giggles.

"What are we even doing?" I asked between breathes.

"I don't know..."

Amy rolled her eyes, "Well, if you two are done goofing off, I'm hungry, so I'll be making pancakes."

I nodded, having to sit down on one of the spiny bar stools, holding back further giggles. Rory came beside me, placing a hand on my head. I flinched, crinkling my nose, "Ugh, sorry. It's just... You still smell like a Whitecoat," I muttered, moving back.

"Oh, right. Sorry," he answered awkwardly and cleared his throat. "You're warm, so you're probably running a bit of a fever."

"Fever?" I scoffed lightly, "I'll be fine." I grinned, spinning away. "What's on the plan for today, Doctor?" I asked, leaning against the marble platform.

"Today," he began, leaning across from me, letting Amy cook. "You're going to stay here and let yourself heal."

I frowned disapprovingly at him, "While you three do..?"

"We're going out. There's a ship called the Starship Enterprise that should be going on its first round right about now. There's a lovely view of Horse Head nebula there as well and its great in the winte--"

"No!" I frowned at him, "Not fair."

"What?"

"That! You three get to go out and see a gigantic ship and look some horse thing and I have to stay here and heal!? Not fair," I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest. "Besides, I only needed a bit of sleep. I should be fine now."

"You're still bloody and bruised, Hazel," Rory frowned. "You shouldn't even be out of bed right now."

"I'll heal quickly. Besides, we're just going to see a starship-thingy. It's not like were jumping into the heart of a _volcano_. What's the worst that could possibly happen?"


	12. chapter twelve:

 

Chapter Twelve:  
Hazel's POV

The next few days were rather eventful. We saved Christmas from a guy who was -- according to the Doctor -- equivalent to Ebenezer Scrooge, _whoever that is_.

Amy and Rory moved into their own little house. They came to go explore other worlds with us, of course, but they were also balancing their real life and jobs as well. The TARDIS was starting to get lonely, with it being just the Doctor and I, and I hated to make it lonelier.

"What do you mean you've _got to go_?" The Doctor asked. He was working on the bottom layer of the console, while I sat on the metal steps. He didn't seem happy with the fact that I needed to leave, and I didn't want to leave, but there were things I just had to do.

"Doctor, I still need to find Maximum Ride. I've been looking for her for the past _four years_ ," I explained for the umpteenth time. "I love traveling with you, I really do, and I wish I could stay here and keep traveling with you, but I've got to find Maximum. The Flock, they're out there, and... Me, staying here, isn't helping me find them any faster."

He sighed, sitting up from the machine, "There's no changing your mind, is there?"

"I'm afraid not. Look, if you need me, use the feather I gave you. If I worked once, it should work again. And I've got your number, I'll call you if anything goes wrong, I swear," I walked down the steps, coming over to his side, and giving him hug, wrapping my wings around him tightly. He sat there, stiff for several seconds, "You're the best man I've ever met, Doctor, and you've changed my life. I thank you for that."

Finally, he wrapped his arms around my waist, accepting my hug. We were silent for several seconds, before the Doctor finally let go. "Well, I'll get the TARDIS ready," he said, a sad smile on his face. He got up and hurried up the steps.

I stood there, standing silently, my head dropping at my chest, and I sighed. "So, where should I drop you off?" The Doctor asked from the upper level. "Amy and Rory's place?"

After a short silence, I turned, going up the steps slowly. "Germany, please."

" _Germany_?"

"Yeah, that's where they were heard from last, although, I heard a few things about them being in South America, nothing was confirmed," I explained. "A few years back, there was a big rally against Itex, a lot kids took down the headquarters of the School. I was still in the School in America at the time, so I didn't hear about it until I got out. I decided to come here and see if there's anything I could scavenge after the revolt; then I'll probably go down to Chile, that's probably where they set off, anyway. That or Argentina."

"You really have this planned out, huh?" The Doctor laughed, a bit of bitterness edging his tone.

I frowned, "I... I wanted you to come too, but it's dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt. You saw what happened to Amy's house."

He sighed, "Yes, yes, I suppose." He pushing a few buttons, turns a few switches, and finally pulling a large lever. The usual turbulence of the TARDIS flying made me grab hold to the side railing. The beautiful whirling sounds that it made was like music to my ears since I knew I probably wouldn't be able to hear it for a long, _long_ time.

And then it stopped. We were here. "Here we are. Germany, June twenty-sixith, 2011..." He paused, "Is there anything you need? Money? Food? Clothes? I promise to keep in touch, but I want you to know I can always--"

"I'll manage, Doctor," I laughed, coming up to him. "Seriously, thank you. For everything." I took a deep breath.

"I hate goodbyes," he blurted out.

I laughed for a second, "This isn't goodbye," I smiled, then held my head high. "Until next time, Doctor."

Somehow, he mustered up a smile, "Until next time."

And with that, I left, silently hoping to myself that I would see the madman in the strange blue box again.  
 ** _•-•-•-•-•_**  
A two months past, I didn't hear much from the Doctor. Once I left, it was like he never existed. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed and half wanted to hear more from him, but I really couldn't worry too much on it.

I searched Germany for a month, finding exactly what I needed. _Information_. Apparently, they had been cloning the Flock here, and although that wasn't something that was particularly a new topic to me, I was able to find information on the Flock itself, including it's members, and abilities.

I smiled, commuting the newfound information to memory and heading to my next stop: Argentina.

Flying half way across the world -- again -- was a... Interesting feat. After mapping it correctly, I decided that it'd be faster to travel over Russia, Japan and Australia, then it would going over Africa and the Atlantic. It would be easier to take pit stops over land than having nothing over water. This brought major downsides, including the fact I knew there were major Itex facilities in Japan and Russia. I'd have to be really careful.

And I was, the trip took all of two and a half weeks, including stops. I needed supplies, considering I was travelling at my fastest speed, so rest stops and food stops were certainly necessary. I also took this time to go over the information I knew, like the members of the flock, their names, abilities, pasts, et cetera. I wanted to know all about them before I could find them.

Once I got to Argentina, I flew all up around, looking for any ominous bird kids that so happened to be flying around casually. I also asked locals about them. Unfortunately for me, practically nobody knew anything. I heard a few people talk about Wildlife researchers going down to Antarctica to research penguins or some kind of bird. It was useless information to me, people did that all the time. I stayed in South America for a two more weeks, going in different areas such as Rio de Janeiro hoping that maybe they would hide in plain sight, but getting no such luck.

It was when I was in El Salvador, I that I got the letter.

I was in my tent, a make shift one I set up for the night. I heard crunching and then the soft slipping of a object sliding through cloth.

I quickly got up. Near my feet, was a TARDIS blue letter. There was a unnecessary amount of stamps stuck to it, along with a few circular signals, and then my name, 'Hazel' and 'El Salvador' under it. On the back label was the number 4.

I frowned, listening for anyone nearby, and then opened the letter. Inside was a hard paper with the date '22/4/2011', the time, '16:30 MDT' and the latitude/longitudes '37, 0, 18N', and '110, 14, 34W'.

I frowned, _this could easily be a trap. And at such early hours? What if I went out and twenty Erasers tried to kill me._

_But I haven't heard from the Doctor in nearly over two months now, so even if it was a mysterious sketchy letter in the middle of the night, April twenty-second was a couple days away, and I wanted to make sure I was there._

_And, if I what I'm thinking is correct, I'm number four, so who exactly are the three others in front of me?_  
 ** _•-•-•-•-•_**  
3rd POV  
After River, Amy, Rory, and the Doctor all showed up at the location directed on the card given to them, there was still one person missing.

"Where's Hazel?" The Doctor asked, he had somewhat assumed that she had kept in contact with the Ponds, if she didn't with him.

"I thought she was with _you_ ," Amy frowned.

"No, she left after you two did," He replied, "Went to go look for someone. Didn't you keep in touch with her?"

"I didn't think I _needed_ to!"

For a second, he began to momentarily panic, but this was soon cleared up when a winged figure dropped in between the three of them.

He jumped, as the dust rose around the girl, a smirk on her face. "Hey," she greeted coolly, her brownish-black wings folding on her back. "Sorry I'm late, you'd think it'd be easier to find someone in the middle of the freaking desert." She gave the Doctor a pointed glare.

"Hazel!" Amy smiled, Hazel certainly had grown since she'd last seen her. She grew her hair out, which was now tied into a ponytail. There was a large, brown jacket tied around her waist, and she wore shorts, and a navy blue tee-shirt.

Her forehead was layered in sweat after flying for hours through hot regions non-stop, but she had no other choice, she thought that she would be able to get here sooner, but a few Erasers showed up, stopping her when she was getting taking break.

Let's say, she owed a small Hispanic business in Sonara a favor.

"Hey, Amy. How's it going?" She smiled, giving the married woman a hug. She winced when she touched a fairly fresh wound on her back, that wasn't so bad, but stung a bit. She then went to go hug River and Rory before stopping in front of the Doctor.

"What?" He frowned, "Don't leave me out, I would like a hug too."

Instead of hugging him, Hazel pushed a finger into his chest, " _You_ promised to keep in touch, _liar_ ," she accused, crossing her arms over her chest. "I didn't know if you were dead or something! _God_ , Doctor, don't worry me like that!"

Amy chuckled at his flustered face, "Sorry--"

" _Sorry_ doesn't cut it," she frowned. "I want _explanations_!"

"And you will be getting them," he replied, turning on his heel and walking away, "Come along. I've got seats reserved!"  
 ** _•-•-•-•-•_**  
Hazel's POV  
We sat patiently in some roadside diner, my heavy coat was on, covering my wings. The Doctor and River compared notes to something on one side of the cushioned-benched-double sided table. The three of us sat on the other side, merely watching.

When they started to talk about something on some kind of fish in Easter Island, Rory decided to speak up, "Sorry, what are you two doing?" He asked curiously.

"They're both time travellers, so they never meet in the right order," Amy explained, since the two didn't take a second to look up from their diaries. "They're syncing their diaries. So, what's happening, then? Because you've been up to something."

The Doctor stops, looking at the four of us, "I've been running, faster than I've ever run," he says, gravelly serious. "And I've been running my whole life. Now, it's time for me to stop. And tonight, I'm going to need you all with me."

"Okay, so we're here now, what's going on? Why are you running?" I asked, eager to get to the point.

"A picnic," he answered with a smile. "And then a trip. Somewhere different, somewhere brand new."

Now, it was Amy's turn to ask, "Where?" Of course, the question was very logical, _where could a 900 year old time traveling time lord go that he hasn't already been to?_

"Space, 1969."  
 ** _•-•-•-•-•_**  
We sat on a large blanket, about a few meters away from a beautiful lake. There was food in the center that the Doctor had brought with him. Surprisingly, he came prepared, but it also interested me. Why a picnic all of a sudden? _Why was it so... Mediocre? I would understand going on a picnic to a different world, but on Earth? And with it being less than a driving distance away? Something was going on, something he wasn't telling us about._

"Salud!" The Doctor cheered, and everyone else repeated after him, raising their own glass of drinks. Unfortunately, he gave me grape juice and refused to let me taste the wine, even though I insisted that I couldn't get drunk.

"So, when are going to 1969?" Rory asked, munching on a piece of buttered bread.

"And since when do you drink wine?" Amy asked after him.

"I'm _eleven hundred and three_. I must've drunk it sometime," he answered with a charming smile. Then, he took a swig from the dark bottle of red wine, and promptly spit it out on the sandy ground beside him. "Oh, why it's horrid. I thought it would taste more like the gums."

"Don't _waste_ it," I scolded, taking the bottle from him. I dumped the glass of grape juice behind me and began to pour myself some. I tasted it. A bit bittersweet, but it was rather good. Not the best, though.

"Eleven hundred and three?" Amy curiously inquired. "You were nine hundred and eight the last time we saw you."

"And you've put on a couple of pounds. I wasn't going to mention it," the Doctor huffed. I hit his arm for the rude comment.

Amy began to talk to Rory about something, but I was too mesmerized by the beautiful lake to hear her. I vaguely wondered the name of the amazing lake. "Ah, the moon," the Doctor awed, his eyes resting on the skies. "Look at it. Of course, you lot did a lot more than look, didn't you? Big, silvery thing in the sky. You couldn't resist it. Quite right."

"The moon landing was in 69," Rory says. What's the moon landing? "Is that where we're going?"

"No. A lot more happens in 69 than anyone remembers," he gave a small sigh. "Human beings. I thought I'd never get done saving you." The sound of a truck engine roaring fills my ears and I whipped my head around to see a pick up truck coming into view with a old man inside. The man gets out, and stands beside the truck patiently, for some reason, the Doctor waves to the old stranger.

"Who's he?" I asked, getting ready to take off my jacket and engage him.

Then, River gasps, "Oh, my god." Now I turn the other way to see a strange figure casually walking out of the lake. It is wearing a white, bulky suit, and a opaque helmet on it's head.

"What the-- what is _that_?" I demanded, not noticing the sorrowful look in the Doctor's eyes.

He cleared his throat, standing up firmly, "You all need to stay back," he ordered. "Whatever happens now, you do not interfere. _Clear_?" I could only stare wide eyed at him, as he walked down to the edge of the beach, where the figure stood.

"That's an astronaut," Rory gasped. "That's an _Apollo astronaut_ in a lake."

"Yeah..." Amy frowned, trying to figure out where this was going, as was I.

I can hear bits and pieces of their conversation, "Hello. It's okay," he says to the astronaut. "I know it's you..." Then, the astronaut moved to touch it's face. "... Well then..."

I can't hear what he says next because Amy began to talk, "What's he doing?" She asked as he bowed his head.

Then a gunshot rang out on the beach, and collided with the Doctor's chest. My eyes widened, blood pounding in my ears. Amy tried to run to him, but River held her back. Another gunshot and I gasped, getting up to go help him as well, but River grabbed my arm tightly, saying something that I don't care to understand.

Wisps of golden yellow encircle the Doctor's body, emerging from the holes in his chest and making his hands glow. He looks at us, I can see his lips move into two words that I **always** hated to hear.

**_"I'm sorry."_ **

One last, final shot, and he flies back. I yank my arm away, flying over to the Time Lord. A dark blackish-burgundy color of blood fell from fell from his lips, his face a sickly pale, and his eyes closed. I didn't realize I was screaming his name until my throat felt raw.

I took out a knife, cutting a sizable cut in my arm, and spilling the blood in his mouth. _Maybe if he drank it, his wounds will get better. He_ ** _has_** _to get better._

Then I hear more gunshots, I turn to see River shooting at the retreating astronaut. In a second, I'm flying after it, diving into the water to hopefully catch up to it. But, as soon as I get in, the astronaut is gone.

I dove further, hoping to find something, anything, but I can't. There's no traces left, like it disappeared.

I'm quickly running out of air and I struggle to resurface. My swimming never was the best. Eventually, I get back up, but my wings are too wet, I can't fly back.

I slowly wade out of the water, breathing heavily. I see a man approach the Doctor, the same one who came in with the pick up truck, and holds a gasoline can in his hand.

I knew immediately what they were planning and my piecing gaze hardened. "What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing?" I asked, my voice cold and filled with so much hurt.

"We have to, Hazel," River explained. "A Time Lord's body is a miracle. Even a dead one. There are whole empires out there who'd rip this world apart for just one cell. We can't leave him here. Or anywhere."

"This isn't right," I hissed, sizing up to the blonde woman. "He wasn't... He wasn't supposed to die. I mean, this is the Doctor we're talking about; he probably has a plan up his sleeve, he _always_ does."

"Either way, we still have to do it, Hazel," Rory says softly, "This is what he wanted."

I stared at the four of them helplessly. None of them were going to side with me. _River is a soldier, she follows orders, Rory, he'll only listen to River, and Amy... Amy's too hurt right now. Too broken. She wouldn't listen to reason._

I growled, turning around, away from the four. "Whatever," I spat. "Do whatever the _hell_ you want. I don't give a fuck anymore."

"Hazel..." River muttered, but didn't say anything else. Instead, she sighed, "Let's hurry. If we finish fast enough, we can make it to sundown."  
 ** _•-•-•-•-•_**  
The Doctor's burning body sailed off on a boat. The scent of burning flesh filled my nose and made my hands tremble. I wanted to throw up. Whenever the wind blew, it made the scent stronger, and I gagged.

A strong wind blew and I gagged again, tears coming to my eyes. "What's wrong?" River asked as I sharply wiped away the unwanted tears.

"I can _smell it_ ," was my answer. She immediately knew what I was talking about and frowned.

" _Oh_..." Decided this was a great time to change the subject, she turned to he mysterious older man. "Who are you? Why did you come?" She demanded. _This was the Doctor's funeral, so I'm guessing he'd want his closest friends to be here. This stranger was the third wheel._

"The same reason as you," he replied, digging a blue envelope out, the same one that I had. "Doctor Song, Amy, Rory, Hazel. I'm Canton Everett Delaware the third. I won't be seeing you again, but you'll be seeing me." Then, he turned around and left.

"Five."

"Sorry, what?" Rory frowned.

"The Doctor numbered the envelopes."  
 ** _•-•-•-•-•_**  
We packed up everything and went back to the diner to talk and think. "You got 3, I was 2, Mister Delaware was 5, Hazel was 4."

"So?" Rory asked, not understanding where this was going, but I understood perfectly.

"Where's number one?" I said, a slight smile on my lips.

"What, you think he invited someone else?" Rory asked, a bit surprised.

"Well, he must have," River answered. "He planned all of this, to the last detail."

"Will you three _shut up_?" Amy hissed at us. "It doesn't matter."

"He was up to something," River replied firmly.

"He's dead," she spat.

"Space, 1969. What did he mean?" River continued, not caring about Amy's words.

"You're still talking, but it doesn't matter," Amy grumbled.

I glared at her, "The Doctor cared about this. He wouldn't call us all here for no reason. If he wanted us here, then we're going to be here and listen to him for once."

She glared back at me, "He's dead."

"He's our _friend_ ," I shot back. "I don't care if he's dead or not I'm helping him. _With or without_ _your help_."

"Hey, look," Rory pointed to a table, where there was a discarded blue envelope. The same exact ones that told us to come here. Rory stopped a passing employee, "Excuse me, who was sitting over there?"

"Some guy," he answered, before turning away.

"The Doctor knew he was going to his death, so he sent out messages," River said, piecing everything together. "When you know it's the end, who do you call?"

"Your friends, people you trust," I answered, crossing my arms over my chest.

" _Number 1_. Who did The Doctor trust the most?" Then, the door swings open, revealing the Doctor, who was wearing the exact same outfit, and had a grin on his face.

River scoffed, "This is cold. Even by your standards, this is cold."

"Or _hello_ , as people used to say," He says sarcastically.

Amy looked absolutely shell-shocked, "Doctor...?"

"I just popped out to get my special straw," he said, holding up a multicolored swirly straw. "It adds more fizz."

"You're okay," Amy says. "How can you be okay?"

"Hey, of course I'm okay," he said, embracing her with a hug. "I'm always okay. I'm the _King of Okay_. Oh, that's a rubbish title. Forget that title. _Rory the Roman_! That's a good title. Hello, Rory. Ah, Hazel! How's Germany? And Doctor River Song. Oh, you bad, bad girl. What trouble have you got for me this time?"

River steps up, and smacked him across he face. _Hard_ , "Okay. I'm assuming that's for something I haven't done yet," the Doctor muttered, rubbing his sore cheek.

"Yes, it is," she glared.

"Good. Looking forward to it," he smirked, walking to the table.

"I don't understand," Rory said, just as confused as we were. "How can you be here?"

"I was invited," he explained. "Date, map reference. Same as you lot, I assume, otherwise it's a hell of a coincidence."

"River, what's going on?" Amy's tone is a bit softer as she tries to absorb what's going on right now. Anyone would be, after seeing their best friend that they just burned. I, on the other hand, was just staring, having not said a thing.

"Amy, ask him what age he is," River ordered.

The Doctor gave an odd laugh, "Well, that's a bit personal."

"Tell her," she firmly repeated. "Tell her what age you are."

"Nine hundred and nine."

Amy didn't believe it, "Yeah, but you said you were--"

"So where does that leave us, huh?" River asked, a bit of desperation in her tone. "Jim the fish? Have we done Jim the fish yet?"

"Who's Jim the Fish?"

"I-I don't understand," Amy stuttered.

"Yeah, you do," Rory replied, staring at the Doctor.

I could tell the Doctor was beginning to get frustrated. " _I_ don't! What are we all doing here?"

"We've been recruited," River explained carefully. "Something to do with space 1969, and a man called Canton Everett Delaware the third."

"Recruited by who?" He asked, his arms crossed childishly over his chest.

"Someone who trusts you more than anybody else in the universe."

"And who's that?"

River gave him a distant frown. From the look on her face, I could tell that she wanted to tell him everything, hell _I_ wanted to tell him everything, but we couldn't. So instead she gave him the one worded answer that always left our minds searching for answers that we couldn't understand, at least not yet.

 _"Spoilers."_  
 ** _•-•-•-•-•_**  
We were in the TARDIS, Amy, Rory, and River were talking quietly on the lower level of the TARDIS. I leaned against the railing, staring at the Doctor silently. Finally, he spoke up, "Did I do something stupid because everyone seems to be cross with me," he huffed. "Are you cross with me, Hazel?"

"I'm a lot of things with you, Doctor," I grumbled. "' _Cross_ ' is certainly one of them."

"Could you at least give me a hint why? A guessing game isn't fair when you don't have any clues," he pouted.

I gave him a hard glare, " _Two months_ , Doctor. The least you could do is tell me you're alive!"

"Well, sorry, I forgot to send a postcard," he huffed. "Is that all you are mad about." I didn't answer, just turning my head away from the man, a scowl on my lips.

He gave me a frown, but didn't say anything else. He went around the console, pulling levers and switches, before hurrying down the steps to the others. "I'm being extremely clever up here, and there's no one to stand around looking impressed!" He shouted down at the three. "What's the point in having you all?"

After a few more minutes of discussing matters, the trio came up the steps to where the Doctor was still ecstatic, eager to talk about something. "Time isn't a straight line," he began. "It's all bumpy wumpy. There's loads of boring stuff like _Sundays_ and _Tuesdays_ and _Thursday afternoons_. But now and then there are _Saturdays_. Big temporal tipping points when anything's possible. The Tardis can't resist them, like a moth to a flame. She loves a party, so I give her _1969_ and _NASA_ , because that's space in the sixties, and _Canton Everett Delaware the third_ , and _this_ is where she's pointing."

He pointed to the screen, at which Amy read the words displayed on it aloud, "Washington D.C., April the eighth, 1969. So why haven't we landed?" She asked.

"Because that's not where we're going," he answered.

"Oh. Where are we going?" Rory asked.

" _Home_ ," he replied. "Well, you two are. Off you pop and make babies. You, Hazel, are going to go back to Germany, or South America to find you bird friends. And you, Doctor Song, back to prison. And me? I'm late for a biplane lesson in 1911. Or it could be knitting. Knitting or biplanes. One or the other."

He falls back into his orange chair, a leg crossed over his thigh and a hand to his chin. " _What_? A mysterious summons. You think I'm just going to go?" He asked with a mocking laugh before his tone went serious once again. "Who sent those messages? I know you know. I can see it in your faces. Don't play games with me. Don't ever, **ever** think you're capable of that."

We all exchanged look, "You're going to have to trust us this time," River finally spoke up.

"Trust you? Sure," he sarcastically scoffed. "But, first of all, Doctor Song, just one thing. Who are you? You're someone from my future. Getting that. But _who_? Okay. Why are you in prison? Who did you _kill,_ hmm? Now, I love a bad girl, me, but _trust you? Seriously_." Noticing that River stood no chance I spoke up.

"Trust me," I said, and his piecing gaze turned my direction.

"Of course. The girl with wings. Why should I trust you, the person who is more than eager to _end me_ when we first met," he spat. "Tell me, Hazel, how exactly did you escape the School?" I flinched at the question, turning my gaze to the ground.

It was Amy who saved me from the Doctor asking anymore personal questions. "Doctor, trust me."

He rose an eyebrow. Amy was an ordinary girl, he really didn't have anything to hold over Amy's head like he did River and I. "Okay."

"You have to do this, and you can't ask why," she told him, her voice shaking slightly.

"Are you being threatened?" He asked, now a bit concerned. "Is someone making you say that?"

"... No."

"You're lying."

"I'm not lying!"

"Swear to me," he demanded, his eyes narrowing. "Swear to me on something that matters."

The TARDIS was oddly silent for the next few seconds, the only sound you could hear was the comforting humming from the walls of the TARDIS, and the was atmosphere thick. Finally, Amy found what she wanted to swear it on, and a confident smile discovered its way to her lips as she proudly stated what it was.

_"Fish fingers and custard."_

This, somehow, seemed to woo the Doctor because a small, nostalgic smile found it's way on his features. "My life in your hands, Amelia Pond." He went to the console to redirect our course, while River went to thank Amy.

Rory tapped my shoulder and I turned to him, "Hey, uh, what did the Doctor mean when he asked how you escaped the School?"

I blinked for a second, but gave him a bittersweet smile, " _That's classified_."

I knew he wanted to indulge more on this, but it really was not the time. The Doctor clasped his hands together, "So! Canton Everett Delaware the third. Who's he?" He demanded. River came to his side, using the computer that was haphazardly strapped onto the console -- and somehow worked too.

"Ex FBI. Got kicked out," she explained. This peaked the Doctor's interests, at least a little.

"Why?"

"Doesn't say," she answered. "Six weeks after he left the Bureau, the President contacted him for a private meeting."

"Yeah, 1969," the Doctor frowned, trying to recall the President at this time. "Who's President?"

River smirked, "Richard Milhous Nixon. Vietnam, Watergate. There's some good stuff, too."

"Not enough."

"Hippie," She offers.

"Archaeologist," The Doctor tsked, and went around the TARDIS console. "Okay, since I don't know what I'm getting into this time, for once I'm being _discreet_. I'm putting the engines on silent." There is a loud wailing sound, and immediately, I winced, covering my ears. Behind his back, River pulls another switch and then everything goes silent.

He turned to the woman, a suspicious look on his face, "Did you do something?"

"No, just watching," she lies through her teeth with a charming smile.

He turned back around and went to go push another button. "Putting the outer shield on invisible. I haven't done this in a while," he pulled down a large switch, with a straining groan. "Big drain on the power."

"You can turn the TARDIS invisible?" Rory asked, and then the Doctor gave a triumphant, ' _Ha!'_ The TARDIS lights went a blinding bright, we all had to shield our eyes in order to keep our eye sight.

Luckily, River came behind him again, pulling yet another lever, " _Very nearly_." The lights went dim, but not completely dark.

He turned to her again, "Er, did you touch something?"

"Just admiring your skills, sweetie," she assured.

"Good," he smirked with pride. "You might learn something. _Okay_. Now I can't check the scanner. It doesn't work when we're cloaked. Just give us a mo," a minute later, we are silently stationed in what I assume is D.C. We all head for the door, but the Doctor stops us, "Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa. You lot, wait a moment. We're in the middle of the most powerful city in the most powerful country on Earth. Let's take it slow." The Doctor casually walked out the door, leaving the four of us behind.

After a few minutes of hearing only the muffled talking from the other side of the door, I frowned. " _Wait_. Why don't _I_ go out there? I'm the one who can turn invisib--"

There was a loud pound against the side of the TARDIS, and I jumped. River merely sighed, "Every time..." She muttered, going to the console.

She begins to pull on several switches. I can hear the Doctor's alarmed shouting from outside the door. "He said the scanner wouldn't work," Rory frowned.

"I know," she shook her head and laughed. " _Bless_." She turns on the screen that hangs above the console, and we are able to see the Doctor being pinned down by twenty other people with a gun to his head.

I frowned, silently lifting a hand, and the gun is out of the man's hand and has attached itself to the ceiling. In response, twenty other guns have been pointed at him. " _Ah! Stop it, Hazel_! You're making it _worse_ ," he screams on the scanner and I can't help but snicker. "River, have you got my scanner working yet!?"

She scoffed, "Oh, I hate him."

"No, you don't!" He answered, as if he heard her.

"Get the President out of here," one of the men-in-black in the back say. "Sir, you have to go with them, now."

"River, _make her_ _blue again_!" And at the push of a button, all the commotion stops, and everyone is staring at the scanner, or more likely the TARDIS.

On that delightful note, I stepped out of the TARDIS, as the Doctor is talking. "... I'll take the case. Fellows, the guns, really? I just walked into the highest security office in the United States and parked a big blue box on the rug. Do you think you can just shoot me?"

"Yes, they can, Doctor," I answered, crossing my arms over my chest, and a few guns point at me. I roll my eyes, "Don't point that at me, the gun powder _stinks_ ," I crinkle my nose, but walk over to the Doctor. River, Rory, and Amy step out behind me.

"They are Americans, after all," she noted, and this seems to buy the Doctor because he frowns.

"Don't shoot," he says, sitting up straighter. "Definitely _no_ shooting."

"Nobody shoot us either," Rory says, his eyes wide and hands up in the universal ' _I_ _surrender_ ' pose. "Very much not in need of getting shot. Look, we've got our hands up."

The man who was being protected by the men-in-black stepped forward, "Who the _hell_ are you?" He demanded.

Then, one of the men by his side, comes over to protect him, "Sir, you need to stay back." My eyes widened and I stared at the man, instantly recognizing who -- more like _what_ \-- he was.

"But who are they and what is that box?" The man demanded, pointing to the TARDIS.

"It's a police box. Can't you _read_? I'm your new undercover agent on loan from Scotland Yard. Code name the Doctor. These are my top operatives, the Legs, the Nose, the Wings, and Mrs Robinson." I scowled at the name, giving the Doctor a pointed glare, and resisting the urge to ' _accidentally_ ' make the stapler staple a finger or two.

"I hate you," she glared, equally as pissed. At this point, I think were all a bit upset with the horrible nicknames he and chosen for us.

"No, you don't," he winked.

"Who are you?" The sheltered man asked.

"Nah, boring question," The Doctor frowned. "Who's _phoning_ you? That's interesting. Because Canton Three is right. That was definitely a girl's voice, which means there's only one place in America she can be phoning from."

"Where?" My eyes narrowed at the man.

"Do not engage with the intruder, Mister Delaware," one of the black soldiers reprimanded.

"You heard everything I heard. It's simple enough," the Doctor stated bluntly. "Give me five minutes, I'll explain. On the other hand, lay a finger on me or my friends, and you'll never, ever know."

"How did you get it in here?" He asked, "I mean, you didn't carry it in."

"Clever, eh?" The Doctor grinned, probably happy he finally founded some who was fascinated with his work.

" _Love it."_

"Do not compliment the intruder," the man ordered.

"Five minutes?"

"Five."

The black man narrowed his eyes, "Mister President, that man is a clear and present danger to--"

"Mister President, that man walked in here with a big blue box and four of his friends, and that's the man he walked past," he interrupted with a smirk. "One of them's worth listening to. I say we give him five minutes. See if he delivers."

The Doctor grinned, "Thanks, Canton."

"If he doesn't, I'll shoot him myself," he added, and my eyes narrowed.

"Not so thanks," he frowned.

The other man tried to cut in again, "Sir, I cannot recommend--"

"Shut up, Peterson!" I snickered at the man's gaping face, before he finally went silent. "All right, five minutes."

"I'm going to need a SWAT team, ready to mobilize," the Doctor said, crossing his legs on the desk. "Street level maps covering all of Florida. A pot of coffee, twelve Jammie Dodgers and a fez."

"Get him his maps," Canton ordered and everyone disassembled.  
 ** _•-•-•-•-•-•_**  
Minutes later, several maps covered the floor of the oval office. I stood along the side, offering no help -- mostly because I couldn't read maps. The Doctor didn't believe this though, "What do you mean you can't read a map?" He asked, a bit surprised, which was of course reasonable, seeing I did travel alot.

"I just _don't_ ," I frowned, a bit hurt that he assumed that I could read a map.

"You're part _bird_ , how can you not--" I covered a hand on his mouth, giving him a glare.

"Let's not let everyone know about that part, okay," I said in more of a whispering tone.

"Why Florida?" Canton asked, and the Doctor turned back to him.

"That's where NASA is," he explained, going back to the maps. "She mentioned a spaceman. NASA's where the spacemen live. Also, there's another lead I'm following."

"A spaceman, like the one we saw at the lake?" Amy asked River in a whisper-tone.

"Maybe. Probably," she answered.

After a few seconds of noise that is only filled with the Doctor staring at the maps and mumbling to himself, Amy gives a very loud gasp, "I remember." She says, and we all turned to her. She is staring at the door. I looked over too, but the only thing that was there was the guard blocking it.

"Amy?" Rory asked, she's been acting strange since we saw the Doctor... _Pass_. _What exactly is wrong with her_? "What do you remember?"

Amy takes her eyes away from the door to look at her husband, "I don't know. I just--"

"Amy, what's wrong?" Rory asked again, very concerned.

"Yeah, are you okay?" I spoke up, walking over to the woman. She looked a bit pale and was beginning to worry me too.

"Amy?" River called.

"Are you all right?" The Doctor asked.

Now, it was all eyes on Amy, who shook her head. "Yeah. No, I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little sick," she admitted. "Excuse me, is there a toilet or something?"

The man, Peterson, as the President called him, shook his head. "Sorry, ma'am, while this procedure's ongoing, you must remain within the Oval office."

I glared at Peterson, _he's annoying_. "Shut up and take her to the restroom," Canton hissed. Luckily, one of the other men-in-black took her to the restroom.

Rory goes to follow her, but Peterson stops him from doing so, "Your five minutes are up." Canton reminded and earned a scowl from the Doctor.

"Yeah, and where's my fez?" He demanded. I rolled my eyes.  
 ** _•-•-•-•-•-•_**  
After a few minutes of boring waiting, and listening to the Doctor's gibberish about the maps, the phone rings and we all know who it is. "The kid?" Canton asked.

"Should I answer it?" Nixon asked.

The Doctor slammed a finger on the map, " _Here_!" He declared, "The only place in the United States that call could be coming from. See? Obvious, when you think about it."

Amy and the guard walk into the room as Canton smirked at him, "You, sir, are a _genius_ ," he complimented, and I rose an eyebrow.

"It's a hobby," the Doctor answered with a smug grin.

"Mister President, answer the phone," Canton says, motioning to the still ringing phone, and Nixon does so.

"Hello. This is President Nixon," he says, introducing himself. The room is silent as we wait for an answer.

Just like they said, the child on the other end voice is shaking with fear, " _It's here_!" She cried, " _The spaceman's here! It's going to get me! It's going to eat me!"_

Now, we all stiffen, "There's no time for a SWAT team," The Doctor says, taking one last glance at the maps, before going to the TARDIS. "Let's go. Mister President, tell her help's on the way," we all hurry into the TARDIS, with everyone else staring at us. "Canton, on no account follow me into this box and close the door behind you."

"What the hell are you doing?" I heard Canton say, in a bit of a rush to get over here, but does so anyway, and closes the door behind him. The regular whooshing sounds that the TARDIS makes fills the air, and I know that we have left.

Canton is too busy staring at the interior of the TARDIS to listen to the important conversation going on, "Jefferson isn't a girl's name. It's not her name either," the Doctor says, moving around the TARDIS as he directions through space, probably to the location of the little girl. "Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton. River?"

"Surnames of three of America's founding fathers," River answered like an answer on a game show.

"Lovely fellows," the Doctor grinned. "Two of them fancied me."

Rory goes to consult Canton, who is still staring -- although I don't quite know why. _It's a bright box, no need to get all shocked over it_. "You see, the President asked the child two questions," the Doctor says. "Where are you and who are you? She was answering where. Now, where would you find three big, historical names in a row like that?"

"Where?" Amy asked.

"Here. Come on," the TARDIS has stopped, and we are now headed for the door, although Rory is still trying to get Canton out of shock. Huh, you'd think that after seeing all that shit down in hell, you'd get used to seeing a pretty box.

"Are you taking care of this?" The Doctor asked.

"Why is it _always_ my turn?" Rory asked in a bit of a whine.

"Because you're the newest," Amy answered, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Stepping out of the TARDIS, my nose instantly crinkles. We are standing in a dingy, old warehouse building, that reels of mildew, mouse droppings, and other scents I can't quite identify.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking around. There is heavy drapery here and there, that looks soiled with a few holes in them. A rotting wooden door blocks us from the other side of the building.

"About five miles from Cape Kennedy Space Centre," The Doctor answered. "It's 1969, the year of the moon. Interesting, don't you think?"

"I think it stinks," I grumbled, but nobody pays any mind to my comment.

"But why would a little girl be here?" Amy asked, looking around as well.

"I don't know," the Doctor answered honestly. "Lost me a bit. The President asked the girl where she was, and she did what any lost little girl would do. She looked out of the window." The Doctor peels back a curtains revealing street names, _Jefferson Road, Hamilton Avenue, Adams Street_ , the same ones that the child had been saying over the telephone.

"Streets. Of course, street names," Amy says with a small scoff.

"The only place in Florida, probably all of America, with those three street names on the same junction," The Doctor continued, but paused for a second to glance at River. "And Doctor Song, you've got that face on again."

"What face?" River is as confused as I am. What does this have to do with finding the girl?

"The ' _he's hot when he's clever' face_ ," the Doctor grinned, but I rolled my eyes. Domestics.

"This is my normal face," River countered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes, it is," he winked, and we both rolled our eyes.

"Oh, shut up!"

"Not a chance."

"Get a room, would you?" I spoke up, scoffing a bit. River and I went to the door, to scout out the rest of the building, while the Doctor, Amy, and Rory got Canton situated.

Since we were free for a minute, I decided to talk to her, "River, are you ever going to tell me how you and Amy are related?" I asked and she stiffened, her flashlight stopping in one place before carrying on.

"I do believe I already gave you that answer," She firmly replied. The warehouse was empty, and was in the same condition as the warehouse office; musty, damp and stinky, with mouse droppings littering the floor.

I frowned at her, "River--"

"Spoilers are meant to be unspoiled for a reason, Hazel," River answered.

I sighed, knowing that this was going nowhere as we met up with the three others, "It's a warehouse of some kind," River announced. "Disused."

"Except by mice..." I grumbled, kicking away a mouse that scampered all too close to my foot.

"You realize this is almost certainly a trap, of course?" The Doctor asked, a grin stretching on his face.

"I noticed the phone, yes," she answered.

"What about it?" Amy asked, and I pointed disinterested at the phone.

"Cord's cut," I stated. "So how's the kid phoning the president?"

"Okay, but why would anyone want to trap us?" Amy asked again.

"Let's see if anyone tries to kill us and work backwards," the Doctor smirked, looking around as well.

"Now, why would a little girl be here?" River asked, as we walking around again. A light catches my eye, and I turned to it.

"I don't know," the Doctor answered. "Let's find her and ask her."

Going towards the light, I pull back a curtain showing some kind of technology. I frowned, _how could we have not noticed this when we were walking around?_

"It's nonterrestrial," River confirmed after a short scan from her scanner. "Definitely alien. Probably not even from this time zone."

"Which is odd, because look at this!" The Doctor points to a bunch of space suits.

"It's earth tech. It's contemporary."

"It's very contemporary. Cutting edge. This is from the space program."

"Stolen?"

"What, by aliens?" Amy disbelievingly asked.

"Apparently..."

"But why?" Amy questions, "I mean, if you can make it all the way to Earth, why steal technology that can barely make it to the moon?"

"Maybe because it's cooler?" The Doctor answered with a playful, cheeky grin. "Look how cool this stuff is."

"Cool aliens?" I asked, scoffing at the thought.

"Well, what would you call me?" He asked, puffing his chest out.

"An alien," Amy answered, just as I said, " _Annoying_."

"Oi!"

"I, er, I think he's okay now," Rory said, backing away from Canton, who looked fairly stable. Fairly.

I frowned, "I'm guessing this would be a bad time to mention my wings," I asked, and Rory gave me the look.

"God, please don't do that," Rory begged, and I laughed but kept my coat on.

"Ah! Back with us, Canton," the Doctor said, smirking. Canton gives a short nod.

"I like your wheels," he complimented, and the Doctor beamed.

"That's my boy," he pats him on the back. "So, come on. Little girl. Let's find her." Rory goes off with the Doctor to go look for the girl, Amy and River leave to inspect the space suit, leaving just Canton and I.

I coughed into my arm, " _Christo_." Canton flinches immediately, turning to me, his eyes turned completely black.

"You're a hunter?" He questions, and I shrugged.

"Not really, worked with a few. You don't know them yet," I replied smoothly.

"How'd you know?"

"You demons have a distinct scent. That, and I know you. You don't know me quite yet. Wait a few decades."

"Usually, you humans seem more unnerved when you meet a demon."

I stared at him, a smirk growing on my lips, "Who said I was human?"

"Hazel, come here for a second," River called.

"That's my cue," I grinned at the demon. "Smoke you later Crowley-- _oops_. I mean Canton," I winked and stalked off, going to River.

"I'm gonna check out these tunnels and I need an extra pair of eyes, wanna help?" River offers, she is already halfway into the manhole, but her head and shoulders stick out.

"Sure," I say, and she goes down a few feet, with me coming right in front of her.

"Be careful, you two," the Doctor warned.

"Careful? I tried that once," she laughed, "Ever so dull."

He rolled his eyes, "Shout if you get in trouble," he reminded us as we went down.

"Don't worry, I'm quite the screamer," she teased. "Now there's a spoiler for you." And we were gone.

It was really dark in the tunnels, the only light came from River's flashlight and he small streams of light above us. It wasn't alot, but was enough to get me accustomed to the dark, making it easier to see. "Do you see anything?" River asked, waving her flashlight around and exploring the rest of the tunnels.

"No, not yet, I--" I cut myself off, going to the wall. There were power lines lining the walls, connecting to a different area. Then, I sensed it. "What's that?"

"Hmm? What's what?" River asked, turning around and shining her flashlight on the wall. My eyes widened and River gasped when she revealed several... _Things_ lining the wall. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that they were aliens. Like, the one's that the kids in the School would talk about, teasing each other over. The green Martians from Mars, with their weird faces and always looking for someone to eat.

For some reason, as a kid growing up in a hellhole of an environment like that, the ' _green Martians from Mars_ ' always interested me. Now looking back on it, I was a _really_ messed up kid...

These aliens seemed to just decorate the walls like lining, hissing whenever the flashlight was shone in their direction, but not moving at all.

Deciding that she's had enough of this, River sharply turned around, going back up the ladder swiftly, with me climbing right behind her.

" All clear," she announced. "Just tunnels. Nothing down there I can see," she paused for a second. I stared at her, what!? What about the aliens!? "Er, give me five minutes," she continued. "I want to take another look around."

"Stupidly dangerous!" I heard the Doctor shout from above.

"Yeah, I like it too," she laughed. "Amy, look after him." She and I climb back down, and I stare at her. "What are you giving me that look for?"

"Why didn't you tell him about the aliens?" I demanded, and now she looked at me weirdly.

" _What_ aliens?"

"These aliens!" I turned around to motion to the multitude of aliens that littered the walls like insects, but they were gone. "Wh-what?"

"Hazel, are you okay? Did you hit your head or something?" River asked, now she sounded worried.

"I... I swear I saw them. They were right here!" I exclaimed, motioning to the area where the aliens once were.

"Is everything okay?" Someone else asked. I whipped my head around to see Rory, who was climbing behind us. "You okay River?"

"Ah. Yes, yes. I just felt a bit sick. It's the prison food, probably. Hazel thinks that she's seen an alien."

" _Think_? I _know_ I saw it! _We both_ saw it!"

"Maybe you should go back to the Doctor? You've probably gotten too much sunlight or something."

"What!? No! I..." I sighed. "What the hell, River? What are you playing at? We both saw it. Is this some kind of 'spoilers' thing, because if it is I—"

Rory interrupted me by placing a hand on my forehead, "You do feel a little hot..."

"Of course I feel fucking hot!" I hissed, swiping his hand away. "I just flew from South America to get here! But I'm _not_ crazy!"

River gave me a look, which I returned with an equally as pissed look, before sighing. "Whatever. I'll go back up where the _sane_ people are!" I threw my hands in the air, heading back up the ladder.

"Hazel I—" River tried to call up to me, but I was already out, and had walked away.

The Doctor looked at me. Amy and Canton weren't with him. They were talking about something ahead of us that I didn't care to listen to. "You look angry," he noted. "Did something—"

"I swear to whatever's holy, Doctor, if you say ' _ruffled your feathers_ ' I will personally make you cut out your tongue with your finger nail." I gave him a glare to reinforce this threat. He frowned uncomfortably, looking away.

"Okay, okay. Fine. Don't get your _feathers in a bunch_ ," I sighed as he snickered to himself with his pun.

"Dammit Doctor..." I muttered, rubbing my head. " _Really_?"

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself," he chuckled, wiping a stray tear from his eye. "What's up?"

"River thinks I'm insane," I paused. "Well, _insane-er_ than usual."

"How so?"

"There were aliens down there, but River insisted on not seeing anything," I explained. "Kept saying that ' _maybe I had too much sunlight_ ' or some stupid shit like that..."

"Did you see it?"

"Of course I saw it! And so did she! Then, she ran and acted like she didn't see _anything_!" I sighed, "I mean, I could kind of _sense_ them, before I saw it. I knew there was something else in the room, but I didn't expect it to be aliens."

Now, he gave me a look, "What do you mean you could sense it?"

I shrugged, "Bird kid thing. Kind of like a gut feeling that somethings gonna happen. It's weird and kind of works on and off, so it's not reliable unless it actually happens."

"Like a sixth sense?"

"Yeah, I guess you can call it that," I shrugged.

"Help me!" I snapped my head up. _That's the girl_! "Help! Help me!" I quickly ran ahead with Canton following behind me.

We run over to the warehouse office to find the astronaut, the same, exact one from the lake. My eyes instantly turn yellow, "Don't move!" I commanded. "Stay where you are!"

The astronaut moved anyway. _Can it not hear me_?! I quickly tried to hold back the metal in the suit, forcing the murderer to its knees. "I said don't move," I hissed.

Then a blunt force hits me in the back of my head, making stars dance across my vision, and falling unconscious.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
"Hazel, get up! Now!" The Doctor's voice ordered, and I forced my eyes to open. Everything was in chaos. Amy and Rory yell at Canton about looking behind him as the Doctor drags me away.

I try to sit up, only to have my skull feel like it's pounding out of my head and my ears ringing obnoxiously. I groan, holding my head in my hands. _What the fuck happened? I feel like I had a bad hangover..._

"We need to move," River said. Suddenly, I am being carrie. I jerked, the all too familiar feeling of falling fills my body and makes to stomach drop. I tried to move as someone brings me into the TARDIS.

"Stay still," they ordered, setting me in the chair. The Doctor drives the TARDIS away, as Rory comes to look me over.

"... Concussion," he finally diagnosed. "Pretty bad."

I groaned, "Don't pick me up like that again..." I muttered, rubbing my head. _Tired... Need sleep..._

"Why?" Canton asked. It was probably him who had carried me.

"Makes me feel like I'm falling...." I rubbed my eyes, wincing again at my head. I move to stand up but Rory pushes me down.

"No standing yet, you'll probably only fall back down," Rory noted.

"No I won't," I grumbled.

"You did it earlier." I blinked, _what? When?_

"What do you mean when you say that you feel like you're falling?" Canton asked, confused.

I narrowed my eyes, annoyed. "I feel like I'm falling. I just... Do."

"How?"

I paused for a second, closing my eyes and rubbing my head, "Why is is so bright in here...?" I grumbled.

"You should probably go lie down,"Rory suggested. "Canton, will you help me take her to the sick bay?" And then I'm being picked up again.

"Put me down," I hissed, struggling out of his iron grip. But, with my super headache and his demon-y strength, I wasn't going anywhere.

I huffed, looking away as Canton smirked at my defeated statue. _Stupid short demon... Thinks he's better than me. I'll show him when I exorcise his ass to hell and back!_ I frowned, ignoring the sinking feeling in my stomach. _At least he wasn't running..._

Finally, we made it to the Sick Bay, and I am set on the bed. I hit his arm to get him away from me. _Now I smell like sulfur! Ew!_

"What? I'm just helping the damsel," he smirked as Rory went I go get some medicine.

"Listen here you. I might be a damsel and I might be in distress, but I can work it out myself!" I snarled, glaring at him. _He is not my favorite demon._

He chuckled, as Rory came back with a bottle of aspirins  that he managed to find, along with a bottle of water. I rolled my eyes, taking the aspirin container, dumping serval out on my hand, and swallowing them.

Canton's eyes widened, "Why—"

"Don't ask," I grumbled, now taking the bottle of water because I felt a bit dehydrated. I'm also hungry, all that flying does a number on a person. _A hamburger would really be nice right now._..

"Rest. I'll be back later," Rory ordered.

"I'm fine," I shrugged. "I only needed an aspirin," I swung my legs out of the bed and quickly stood up.

My eyes widened and I turned over, luckily finding a conveniently placed trash can and dumping my insides in it. I gagged, wiping the sickly fluids from my mouth. "Yep... Totally fine..." I was silently proud that the I didn't puke all over the floor of the TARDIS.

"Like I said. Sleep," Rory continued, "You'll feel better in a few hours."

I nodded, turning over in the bed. My back facing the two. The two men exited the room, and I closed my eyes. The exhaustion of flying quickly caught up with me as I fell asleep.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
Luckily, Rory was right, all I needed was a few hours of sleep, several aspirin, and a lot of determination because soon, I was up and running again.

I walked down the halls rather sluggishly, everyone was already in the console room, so there was no issue.

I rolled my shoulders and stretched my wings in the opened area. _That feels much better..._

" _Holy hell_!" A voice spoke up, and I turned to look at Canton, who was just talking to the Doctor several seconds ago, was now staring wide eyed at my wings. _Oh, I didn't tell him... Whoops._

"Hey Canton," I waved. He was frozen to the spot, staring at my wings with wide eyes. I folded them behind back, "Rory, fix him."

"Why me!?" He whined, childishly.

" _Because_ ," I shrugged, going to the Doctor.

"How'd you sleep?" The Doctor asked, and I rubbed my head.

"Pretty fine, I guess," I shrugged. "Too drugged up on aspirin to remember anything important. Wanna fill me in?"

"We decided to look for these aliens for three months," River said, she had been listening in. "Find out as much as we can, then come back to the US. Canton will be there to... Collect us."

I nodded, "Collect us _how_?"

"At that point we'd be wanted by the president, so it'd be best to lie low," The Doctor explained. "Don't draw too much attention to yourself."

I smirked, "Got it."  
 **•-•-•-•-•** ** _Three months later_** **•-•-•-•-•**  
The lights were blinding, causing me to squint.  The people in the crowd went silent as the white lights slowly dimmed. I wore a loose suit, my wings encased in metal, making them look like a machine, or a prop. All of my feathers were encased in the metal, which was thin and allowed me to move them with basic motions, but I couldn't fly with them on.

"Pick a card, will you?" I smirked, sitting next to an unsuspecting man in the crowd. He gasped when I made my presence known. I held out a deck of cards to him, all evenly spread out in my hands.

He smiled, going for them, but I pulled the away with a teasing smirk. "Actually. Wait a second. That's too easy, isn't it." I put the cards together, clamping my hands together then spreading them back out. "Now, pick a card."

"What card?" The man laughed, "They're gone?" And he was right, the entire stack was completely invisible. As if they had disappeared.

"No they're not," I smiled. "Just gotta use your imagination. Pick a card."

Murmurs went across the crowd, wondering what was going on. My smile only widened, as the man hesitantly reached for a card. The priceless look of surprise on his face made me laugh, as he carefully pulled a invisible card away from the deck. As it left my contact, it slowly became visible for him to see.

"What's your card?" I asked. "King of Hearts? Jack of Spades?" He shook his head, staring at the card in shock. "Or, maybe..." My voice lowered, to a serious tone. "It's a picture of your six year of daughter, Betty? She had just gone to public school down in southern Nevada, correct? She's wearing a yellow sundress, with pink slippers, and had blonde hair, blue eyes."

The crowd gasped in shock as the man dropped the card, or should I say photograph. "How did you—"

"Oi! A magician never reveals their secrets," I grinned. "And an assistant never asks. Let's give this wonderful man a round of applause, shall we?" The crowd clapped loudly, and I smiled broadly, "Oh, and here's your wallet, good sir!" I tossed him the black leather wallet, which he caught easily. The crowd began to laugh as I made my way back to the stage.

"For my next trick, I'll need a black dress!"  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
After my show, I offered wipe down all the tables. Well, more like I was supposed to. Part of my job was that in order for someone my color to work here, I had to clean afterwards.

I sighed, _segregation is a nuisance, especially when I get thirsty and can't even drink from a fucking water fountain..._

"I have to say, it was a very good show," a voice spoke up behind me. I didn't flinch, I kept wiping down the large table. _So many crumbs, so little time... "_ Favorite part was the card trick, by the way. Interesting how you made the cards invisible."

"Thank you," I thanked, standing up straight. "Now, what's a short man like you doing in a place like this?" I didn't face him. I patted my hands down on my pants legs, getting the excess crumbs off. I glanced at the window. _Three outside. Snipers. Weapons aren't lethal._

My ears twitched hearing a footstep in the kitchen. I sniffed. _Two of them._

Now I looked up, at the dead lightbulb in the ceiling. _I had meant to fix that_.... The reflection of five men stood near Canton, hiding behind the curtains could be seen.

"I could say the same for you," Canton replied. "Aren't you a bit to young to be in a place like this?"

"It's not what you think," I laughed dryly. "I'm a magician."

"There's not such thing as magic."

"Ah, well, for heartless bastards like you, there isn't," I replied. "I'm sure your mother told you to never mess with magicians..." I reached into my pocket, and immediately heard the ominous sounds of the safeties of guns being taken off.

"I don't think she did, actually."

"Shame..." I sighed, and immediately threw the smoke ball on the ground, setting it off immediately.

Several bullets flew through the air, shattering the window, and I ducked,going invisible. _Whoops, they are lethal. Dang._

I sent six metal feathers out the shattered window, aiming to wrap the metal strips around their eyes, blinding their eyes. The others were put on the ends of the guns, blocking any more bullet from coming out.

The men in the kitchen and behind the curtain came out, shooting into the smoke. I flipped one of the tables on that sides, blocking the bullets, whilst sending five metal feathers out.

The metal wrapped around their feet, tripping them instantly. I gaped when someone came from behind me, shooting something in my neck. I jumped, pulling it out instantly. "Just give up, Hazel!" Canton called.

"You'd want that, wouldn't you!" I laughed, kicking the table one of the soldier directions, and hitting him square in the stomach. He flew back, falling on the ground.

Now there was only Canton and one soldier. The smoke had cleared, so they could clearly see me now.

I stood up, both of them had a gun to my head. Any wrong movement and I'd be dead.

"The Scottish woman, Amy wasn't it? She's dead," Canton said, and I glared at him. "So is the other one. The blonde jumped off a roof."

"And what of the Doctor?" I demanded.

"Somewhere you'll never see him again, that's for sure." I hissed at him, my eyes narrowing.

An electrifying sensational filled my body starting with my wings. I gasped in pain, falling to the ground. "I guess that metal doesn't work well with electricity, huh?" I growled at him, but was forced to my knees, with a gun to my head. "Everyone else in seen had black lines all over their body. Where's yours?" He pulled up my sleeves and shirt, revealing the black marks littering my skin and stomach. I glared at him , but somehow the electricity intensified.

I screamed in pain, breathing heavily. "What do they mean?" He demanded, "Tell me."

I looked up at him, my loose hair falling over my eyes, but you could see the glare that I have him. "Go to hell," I spat. He knew exactly what I meant, and bent down towards me ear.

His hot breath gave me chills down my spine and instantly flinched away. "Been there, done that. Give me a better answer, would you love?" My mouth stayed sealed, and he gave a sarcastic sigh. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance." Then, he shot me the head.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
"Is there a reason you're doing this?" I hear the Doctor ask.

"I want you to know where you stand," Canton said calmly, as the soul diets roughly plopped my bag on the ground. I resisted the urge to move. My claustrophobia had settled in long ago, followed by anxiety and near hysteria. I'm surprised I hadn't given it away yet. Of course, I had also been keeping my eyes closed the entire time so I didn't think about it, but that's beyond the point.

"In a cell," the Doctor answered sarcastically.

"In the _perfect_ cell," Canton corrected. "Nothing can penetrate these walls. Not a sound, not a radio wave, not the tiniest particle of anything." I hear footsteps leaving the room, and then the sound of a heavy door closing tight. "In here, you're literally cut off from the rest of the universe." He pauses, "So I guess they can't hear us, right?"

"You bet." And there's my cue. I instantly sit up in the bag, and unzip it. My breathing is shallow and rapid as I intake greedy breaths of air. I don't care to listen to the others talking, I'm too busy trying to keep my heart rate at a normal pace.

"Hazel," the Doctor said, touching my shoulder. I jumped, but quickly covered it up by casually stretching my wings, at least as far as I can in the small, enclosed space. _At least it wasn't as small as that bag_... I think to myself bitterly.

"Yeah..." I say after a few minutes. "Claustrophobic, remember?" I give a dry laugh, rubbing the sides of my arms. "Sorry. Didn't get the memo that I was going to be put into a body bag."

"Sorry," Canton shrugged carelessly.

"I also didn't get the memo that I'd be electrocuted," I glared, and he shrugged again.

"I needed to make it believable. Besides, you said I could use lethals."

"Yeah, but I didn't actually think you'd _do it_!" I shook my head, standing up, quite eager to get out of the bag and stretch my legs. "What's next, Doctor?"

He leans against an invisible wall, that I assumed was the TARDIS. He clicked his fingers and the TARDIS doors opened, confirming my suspicion. "Shall we?" He grinned.

I am the first to run and head inside he TARDIS, very satisfying with the wide spacing. "Don't mind if I do," I smiled, leaning against the railing. _Never have I ever missed the TARDIS so much._

"What about Doctor Song?" Canton asked as the others stepped in. "She dove off a rooftop."

"Don't worry. She does that," he answered casually, going to the console. "Amy, Rory, open all the doors to the swimming pool!" Amy and Rory go do what he says, but I give him a weird look.

"You have a swimming pool?" I asked.

"Course I do," he said just as the two called, ' _Ready!'_

He pulled down a lever, opening the door. River comes falling in, diving all the way through the TARDIS, sideways, and falling through until I hear a satisfying splash.

"So, we know they're everywhere. Not just a landing party, an occupying force, and they have been here a very, _very_ long time. But nobody knows that, because no one can remember them."

"Except for animals," I speak up, and they turn to me. "They don't have as much an impact on them."

"How do you know?" Canton asked, and I grinned.

"Believe it or not, I caught one messing with an animal," they looked at me wide eyed. "Strange I know. Anyways, from what I saw. The animal—it was a squirrel—turned to get something, and then brought it back to the alien. I don't think it lasts long though, because I was able to remember the alien for a few minutes after River forgot it, but now I don't remember a damn thing. Maybe it has a different effect on bird kids, I don't know. Haven't been able to test it either."

The Doctor nodded, "Interesting." The three came up from the hall. All three were a bit damp and River had a towel on her head.

"Then, what are they up to?" Canton demanded with a mocking scoff, "Nature exploration."

"No idea. But the good news is, we've got a secret weapon," he beamed, going to the console and pulling something out. He took Canton's palm and injected some kind of... Yellow thing in it. 

"Ow!" He hissed, drawing his hand back.

"Ha. So, three months. What else have we found out?" The Doctor asked, going to me and stamping the thing in my hand. I winced, it felt like a thick needle piecing through your skin, but nothing I couldn't handle.

"Well, they are everywhere," he says."Every state in America," Rory said as he flinched, getting the injection as well.

"Not just America, the entire world," he corrected.

"There's a greater concentration here, though," she noted.

"And that they usually are around more wealthy people," I spoke up. "Influencing the people who has money and power."

The Doctor gives Amy the injection, as River turns to me, "How'd you find that one out?" She asked.

I smirked, "For the last three months, I've been working as an entertainer in Vegas," I shrugged. "Been around people; Rich, poor, politician, et cetera."

"Oh? How'd that work out?" River asked, seemingly interested.

I shrugged, "Eh. Bit harder because it's the sixties, segregation and all, but card tricks aren't too hard if you're someone like me."

"You'll have to show me someday," River grinned.

"I could show you now," I smirked, weaving around the Doctor, who had been talking to Amy. I held out a black wallet "Pick a card, any card," I joked.

The Doctor glanced over seeing that I had taken his black wallet, and huffed, snatching it away. "How do you _do_ that!?"

I laughed, wiggling my fingers around my head, " _Magic_."

"So, about these aliens," Canton interrupted. "You've seen them, but you don't remember them."

"You've seen them, too. That night at the warehouse, remember?" River reminded him. "While you were pretending to hunt us down, we saw hundreds of those things. We still don't know what they look like."

"It's like they edit themselves out of your memory as soon as you look away," Rory explained. "The exact second you're not looking at them, you can't remember anything."

"Sometimes you feel a bit sick, though," Amy added. "But not always."

"So that's why you marked your skin?" Canton asked, I nearly forgot that had been in the dark about all this.

"It was the only way to know if we came in contact with them," I explained.

"How long have they been here?" He asked.

"That's what we've spent the last three months trying to find out," Amy answered.

"Not easy, if you can't remember anything you discover," Rory give a frustrated frown.

"How long do you think?"

"As long as there's been something in the corner of your eye, or creaking in your house, or breathing under your bed, or voices through a wall. They've been running your lives for a very long time now, so keep this straight in your head," the Doctor says, seriously. "We are not fighting an alien invasion, we're leading a revolution. And today, the battle begins."

"How?" Canton asked. The disbelief in his voice is rather high, I wouldn't believe the Doctor either under the given circumstances, if I were like him, at least.

"Like this," he injected River in the hand.

"Ow!"

"Nanorecorder. Fuses with the cartilage in your hand," he explained, objecting himself. "Ow. And it tunes itself directly to the speech centres in your brain. It'll pick up your voice, no matter what. Telepathic connection. So, the moment you see one of the creatures, you activate it, and describe aloud exactly what you're seeing," he presses down in his hand.

" _And describe aloud exactly what you're seeing,_ " the nanorecorder echoed.

"Because the moment you break contact, you're going to forget it happened," he continued. "The light will flash if you've left yourself a message. You keep checking your hand if you've had an encounter. That's the first you'll know about it."

"Why didn't you tell me this before we started?" Canton asked.

"I did," the Doctor answered, "But even information about these creatures erases itself over time. I couldn't refresh it because I couldn't talk to you."

Canton looks away and gasped, "My God, how did it get in here?" He is staring at one of the aliens, that is lurking along the edges of the room.

"Keep eye contact with the creature and, when I say, turn back, and when you do, straighten my bow tie," the Doctor ordered.

Canton turned back around and stepped forward, straightening the Doctor's bow tie. Now eyes lie on him, and we all look at him.

"What? What are you staring at?" Canton asked, giving us all odd looks.

"Look at your hand," River says calmly. Canton turns is palm up to reveal a blinking light.

"Why is it doing that?" He asked, a little spooked.

"What does it mean if the light's flashing?" The Doctor quizzed, "What did I just tell you?"

"I haven't—" Canton tries to argue, but I interrupt him.

"Just play it." And he does. The recorded conversation from a second ago played.

We turn around—again. The alien is still there. Standing oddly still. "It's a hologram," the Doctor explained to us. "Extrapolated from the photo on Amy's phone. Take a good, long look." He turned the image off. "You just saw an image of one of the creatures we're fighting. Describe it to me."

"I can't," Canton answered, with a displeased frown.

"No. Neither can I," he said, "A bit you straightened my bow tie because I planted the idea in your head while you were looking at the creature."

"Like posthypnotic suggestion?" Rory offers and the Doctor nodded.

"Ruling the world with posthypnotic suggestion?" Amy scoffed at the insanity of he situation.

"Now then, a little girl in a spacesuit," the Doctor said, shifting subjects. "They got the suit from NASA, but where did they get the girl? Hazel?"

I blinked at the attention, but then my eyes narrowed. "If you wanted to know where the School got to me, you could've asked." Before he could answer, I continued. "I'm a test-tube kid."

"What does that mean?" Canton asked, and I gave a careless shrug, placing my hands behind my head.

"Basically, they take the fertilized egg from a woman who volunteered to help, and fertilize it themselves, but add a lotta other shit to it." Amy and River grimaced at the thought as I continued. "But, I've heard a lot of other cases. Usually, when a woman has a miscarriage, they get rid of the child, right? Well, the School _somehow_ found out how to revive the dead, and use that for other... _Tests_. Those are more temporary than the other ones. The last one that I know of is adopting children from orphanages, or taking over already run down ones, and using the kids there."

Everyone stared at me and I looked away, finding particular interest in the ceiling. "But, if you're wondering where they got a kid from, it could be anywhere. Most likely kidnapped or given away from an orphanage."

"But, wouldn't the person who's running the orphanage know?" Amy asked, attempting to disprove my theory. "Even in big orphanages, they'd find out eventually."

I gave her a dull look, "That would be right," I agreed, stuffing my hands in my pockets. "If the advisor of the orphanage wasn't getting paid, or in this case, influenced. Probably took all the kids to a big park or something, giving them the chance to swoop in. Hell, they could do it in _broad daylight_ and nobody would care, even if they _weren't_ aliens. They're _orphans_ , most people really wouldn't care where they ended up, as long as they were out, you know what I mean?"

The room had fallen silent once more and I sighed, shifting my weight from one foot to the other, feeling a little uncomfortable. "I suggest checking all the orphanages in the area around the warehouse," I continued. "The kid's small, couldn't get anywhere fast without any connections, and assuming it has only been a few months since we've last seen her, I'd be able to get a location, or at least a prediction of where this kid is. Plus, we'd probably be able to get some kind of information out of whoever put the kid in the suit."

The Doctor nodded, going to the console and typing faster than I could see. "There's only one orphanage in the area near the Warehouse," he explained.

"How far?"

"About five miles."

"We should start there then." I lean against the console casually.

"I'll drop you, Canton, and Amy off at the Warehouse," the Doctor said.

"Wait, do either of us have a say in this?" Amy frowned.

"What do you wanna do? Pull sticks and see who gets the short end?" I teased lightly and she huffed.

"Where will you three be at anyway?" Canton asked, shifting to a more important question.

"We'll be going to the Kennedy Space Centre," the Doctor answered, pulling a lever down, I nodded approvingly, glad I'm not on their side. _I don't think I could've handled the amount of Whitecoats_... "Something's interfering with the TARDIS," the Doctor said, with a frustrated sigh. "I've put her about a ten minute drive from the orphanage. There should be a car near the side you can use, but be sure to return it."

I laugh, grabbing my coat, that I've been putting on the railing on the side of the TARDIS due to pure laziness. Quickly slipping it on, I wait at the door for the two others, and smirked at the Doctor, "Got it, anything else you'd want to fuss over before we leave?" He rolled his eyes ignoring me, and I laugh, heading out into the drizzling rain with Amy and Canton right behind me.

Just as the Doctor described, there is a jet black, old car stationed near the side of the road, that also looked pretty empty. I go to the side of the car causally, unlocking the metal lock and going to the front car seat.

"So, how's this supposed to work," Amy asked, rather curiously. "This is, like, red wire blue wire right?"

"Usually, but now you have me,"  
I grin taking out my pocket knife, that instead of a tip, has a key to some lock on it. I molded the metal of the key in my hand, and then putting it into the ignition. 

Turning it on, I revved up the engine. Smirking at my handiwork, I slipped out of the car, and going to the back seat.

"How'd you do that?" Canton asked and I winked at him playfully.

" _Magic_."

Amy scoffed, sliding into the shotgun seat. "So, where is this place again?" She asked, as Canton began down the road.

"Down this road," I answered. "Keep going for mile or so, until you see an intersection, then turn right. Keep going that way, until you get to the second left . Keep going down that way, and you'll get there."

They both stared at me, like I had grown another wing. "What?"

"How do you know that?" Amy asked.

"I saw the screen the Doctor was using," I shrugged, sinking into my seat. Deciding to ignore whatever else the two were going to say, I snuggled into the seat, watching quietly as the car rolled past long hills.

My eyes glazed over as my mind drifted to something else.

I was in a room, a glass room, with my hands locked to the ceiling. Somebody stood in front of me, whispering in my ears. I could feel their hot, sticky breath tickle my neck, making my hair stand on end. He was speaking in some weird language, one I didn't recognize, but somehow I knew what he was saying. They were short, abruptly stated and held little meaning to their sentences alone.

"School. Whitecoats. Lara. Wings. Experimentation. Torture," he said, and my breathing began to get heavier. _Wh... What was he doing to me_!? "Kill. Erasers. Fly boys. Flock. Maximum Ride." A feeling of panic filled my veins. _No... No. No! No! No! No! No! N—_

I jerked, my eyes snapping open. I coughed, choking on my own spit. "Hazel? Are you okay?" Amy asked from the front seat.

I took a second to calm myself down, having already learned the hard way to talk after a bad nightmare. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good," I nodded, not quite sure whether I was convincing her or myself. _What was that dream about? Why did it feel so weird!?_

Amy didn't say anything, and the rest of the ride was silent, only broken by the radio that was giving information about he moon landing. " _In just a few days, mankind will set foot on the Moon for the first time_ ," The radio announced as we pulled up to the broken-down house. " _Today, the President reaffirmed America's commitment—"_

"Ready?" Canton asked, turning off the radio. "Check." He motioned to our hands.

"Clear," I announced. No tally marks or blinking.

"Clear," Amy said, checking her own hand.

"Clear," Canton says and we exit the car.

We all already know the game plan. Amy and Canton will pose as FBI agents and I will be invisible. Then, we split up and search the house for the kid, or at least anything out of the ordinary. 

Canton knocks on the door. A few minutes later, it is answered by a old man who reeks of dirt and body odor. His hands is shaking and his eyes filled, sullen into his skull. They look like they have lost any life in them. But, his pupils dilate as soon as he sees us. Although he expresses a confused look, he is excited. _But for what? Why would our very presence excite a man that none of us have ever met?_

"Hello?" He calls, blocking the doorway, not after taking off an unnecessary amount of locks first. _This man is probably crazy..._

"FBI," Canton says, flashing a fake badge. "You must be Doctor Renfrew. Can we come in?"

"Th-The children are asleep," Doctor Renfrew replied. I frown at this, not hearing anyone else's heartbeats except for us four.

"We'll be very quiet," Amy assures the shaking man who looks like he's had one too many coffees.

"Is there a problem?" Renfrew asked.

"It's about a missing child," Canton replies, and then Renfrew seems to know what their talking about instantly.

"What are you?" I frown again, _he forgot they were FBI? Maybe dementia? Alzheimer's? Maybe just short-term memory, actually_. "Yes, come in, please. This way," we walk into the house, I stand close to Amy, holding onto the end of her shirt so she knows I'm still here.

We pass a wall with writing that says ' _GET OUT_ ' and ' _LEAVE NOW_ ' in burgundy red and underlined. "Please excuse the writing," he apologized. "It keeps happening. I try to clean it up."

"It's the kids, yeah?" Amy asked, "They did that."

"Yes, the children," he nodded, clamps his obviously clammy hands together. "It must be, yes." He points a lanky finger down the hall, "Anyway, my office is this way."

"We nearly didn't come to this place," Canton spoke up. "I understood Graystark Hall was closed in '67. "

"That's the plan, yes," he nodded.

"The plan?" Amy inquired.

"Not long now," Renfrew sighed, as if disappointed.

This sparked Canton's interests, and my own, "It's 1969," Canton reminded, but Renfrew shook his head.

"No, no. We close in ' _67_ ," he correct, even though he was quite wrong. "That's the plan, yes."

"You misunderstood me, sir," Canton gave the man an odd look. Similar, if not identical, to mines, "It's 1969 _now_."

The doctor scoffed, upset with the man for stating the truth. "Why are you saying that?" Doctor Renfrew demanded, " _Of course_ it isn't."

"July," Canton says, and then Renfrew stops. Thinking for a hot second before continuing on.

"My office is this way," he points down the ball again. "T-This way." The man walks down the hallway, but I tug on Canton's arm before he can follow him, and make myself visible.

"I think there's a basement here too," I announce. "I'm gonna go check it out." With that, I go invisible again and let go of his arm.

"Be careful," Amy noted.

"Will do," I replied, and walked down the opposite end of the hall.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
For several minutes, I found nothing. Most of the doors just led to closets or other unused room that had the stench of ripe mildew and mold.

I scrunched up my nose, deciding to try one last door before going back upstairs, and once again, and empty bedroom filled with mouse droppings, flys, and no stairs to a basement.

I sighed in defeat, leaning against the wall, _maybe I was wrong? Maybe there is no basement in this house._

_But I can feel it! And I saw the windows near the side of the house. Well, at least the boarded up ones. But there's something down there! And I wanna know what's up! Er... Well, I guess it'd be down?_

_Either way, there's something and I'm going to find it!_  
  
I glance to the side noticing a picture that looked old and dusty, but it had been tilted. Absentmindedly, I fixed it, tilting it back to its straight position.

A low rumbling noise filled my ears, and I jumped, moving away from the wall as if shifted and moved away, revealing a dark staircase. Spider webs decorated the sides of the staircase and mice scurried across the steps.

I crinkled my nose, but looked around. _Nobody_.

I looked at my hand, no beeping, no tallies. _Nothing_.

I took a deep breath, mustering up whatever courage I have, and take a step, heading down the stairs.

At first there was nothing to see. My eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness quite yet, but luckily, I was able to swipe a flashlight from the TARDIS before I left.

Clicking the device on, I looked around the room, the he only illumination that I had was from the used flashlight. Insects and arachnids decorated the walls, climbing up and down. Some of them moved away when the light source shined their way.

A low hissing noise filled the tense air and I jumped. My hairs stood on ends and I pressed my hand, turning on the recorder. A long knife fell from my shirt and into my hand, as I turned around to face the alien.

One of the aliens stood before me, it's head far too big for its slim body, in the shape of an almond, actually. It wore a jet black tuxedo and a white button up shirt underneath. It's eyes sunken in its head, it's mouth stretched and sewn together by skin.

The hissing sound made the air seem like it was vibrating, almost.

The alien tilted it's head at me. "What are you?" I demanded, shaking whatever fear I had away. I pulled out my marker, marking a single line on my hand.

The alien didn't speak, it just stared at me, almost with complexity. "Answer me." Still no response.

I frowned, _they hadn't talked into the three months that we went AWOL, so why would it talk now?_

Sighing in defeat, I turned back around, but was met by several other aliens.

I gasped, backing up instinctively, and only to fall into the arms of the alien behind me. Looping it's arms around my own, the alien held me in the ground. I tried to pull away, but its grip is like iron.

I grunted, instinctively kicked the alien in the leg, but it did no damage whatsoever. "Let me go!" I growled at the alien. My heart began to speed up in panic. _They... They weren't going to take me to the School... Right?_

If I wasn't panicked enough, then this is what really set it off. "Let me go!!" I screamed.

The sound of heels clicking the floor make me look up. A woman cut through the crowd of surrounding aliens. The look of familiar cold, deductive eyes pierced through me and I froze. " _Hello_ , _Subject 63-2a."_  
 **•-•-•-•-•-•**  
Doctor's POV  
This mission had gone so helplessly wrong so quickly.

Amy was gone, the only thing that remained was the receiving end to the nanorecorder. There was an alien, who was supposedly called the Silence, dead, with a threat of the Silence falling. He had lost his best friend in about the hour or two that he left and there was still one more thing.

"Doctor," River called his name from the doorway.

"What is it, River!?" He spat. He hadn't meant to sound mean, but with someone dead and someone else missing, he'd really would rather prefer some good news right about now.

"It–It's Hazel. She's missing too."

He shot up quickly, wanting to hit himself in the head for forgetting the girl, _again_. "Where was she last seen?" He asked seriously.

"With Amy," River answered, "Canton said that she thought there was a basement and wanted to look. He hasn't seen her since."

"Split up," he ordered, and River nodded, sprinting down the hall to spread the news.

He ran a long hand down his face, two of his companions in one day!? His past selves would most certainly curse him for being so reckless.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
It had taken a lot of looking and yelling before he stumbled across Hazel.  
She laid near a bookshelf, haphazardly dumped near the side. She was unconscious. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing, but there was a growing crimson red stain in the side of her shirt, along with a rather wide tear from a sharp object, probably a knife.

He moved to shake her up but then noticed a blinking on her palm. He frowned, pressing against it and listening to the conversation.

" _Let's get right to it, shall we_?" He rose an eyebrow, not recognizing this voice. " _Schule. Weiße Mäntel_. _Lara—"_

 _"No! No please! Stop_!" Hazel begged, but the woman carried on.

" _Schule. Weiße Mäntel. Lara. Flügel. Experimentieren. Folter. Töten. Radiergummis. Flyboys. Herde. Maximum Ride."_

"Stop!" She cried, " _Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! St—mmhmm_!!" Something was tied over her mouth.

The woman went again, this time chanting faster. " _Schule. Weiße Mäntel. Lara. Flügel. Experimentieren. Folter. Töten. Radiergummis. Flyboys. Herde. Maximum Ride_!" He could hear Hazel's cries of terror from behind the gag, except they had gotten weaker. Much weaker.

She was giving in, but to what?

" _Schule. Weiße Mäntel. Lara. Flügel. Experimentieren. Folter. Töten. Radiergummis. Flyboys. Herde._ ** _Maximum Ride_** _!!"_

 _Silence_. Pure, unadulterated, silence. Finally, Hazel spoke up. " _W... was ist meine Aufgabe?"_

"Doctor...?" He snapped his head up, looking at Hazel. Her eyes were half lidded, dulled, and glazed over. Tears brimmed the ends of them, threatening to fall.

"Hazel, wait a second. Don't get up yet, I–I don't know what she did to you so wait," he ordered scrambling around.

She didn't say anything. She pushed her knees to her chest, resting her head on top.

Gently, he took her body under his arm, and lifted her up. "C'mon Hazel, we need to go back to the others," he grunted, but she refused to move. Sighing he took another position, and lifting her body, which has been rather light, and putting her on his back. 

As he walked, she gasped, shaking in fear. "No. No, no! Stop! I'm–I'm falling! Help! Help me I can't—"

"Hazel, calm down," he grunted, shifting his weight as he walked. He could feel her wings  trying to move to fly away. He gritted his teeth. He knew that birds had an internal core, and they flexibly tried to fly, or at least flutter, their wings in order to prevent them from falling. He had assumed that Hazel had it too, she showed signs of having it. When she was drugged up with the Silurians Amy told him that she kept saying that she was falling and when he saved her from that cabin, she had tried to move her wings, to keep herself steady.

"Doc... Tor..." She murmured, "Help..."

"I'm right here, Hazel. We need to get you back to the TARDIS, give me a sec—"

"No, no... I... She did something, Doctor..." Hazel muttered, her breath coming out in short pants. "She took me; she's hurting me I–I can't leave I..."

"What do you mean she took you, you're right here," he argued. "Hazel, you're delusional, you need to calm down. Breath, okay, just—"

"She's making me— _her_. She making her talk. Doctor she can't tell her! I–I'm not here I—"

"Hazel, go to sleep," he ordered, tapping her head. Her body fell limp against his, her breathing evening. He sighed, walking at a faster pace. Hazel's wing would twitch every now and then, but she stayed asleep, thankfully.

He hurried back to the others, luckily finding them all in the front of the Orphanage. The all stared at him as he hurried down the hall.

River was the first to respond, "Doctor what—"

"Get her to the TARDIS," he ordered, leaving no room for argument. "Hurry, she's bleeding on her side."

This caused them to move. Rory took her from his shoulders and raced her to the TARDIS, everyone else following closely after him. He went to the Console room, directing the TARDIS somewhere, anywhere else, before going to the sick bay himself, hoping that she'd be alright.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
Hazel's POV  
I blinked my eyes open wearily, a high-pitched beeping sound was ringing in my ears. Annoying. It is annoying. I rubbed my nose, inhaling.

Then, I shot up, my wings shooting out and hitting some metal box, knocking it to the ground. The beeping noise flatlined but then sputtered out. I smelled smoke.

Footsteps pounded down the hallway and burst through the single door. The Doctor. For a second, the expression of fear lingered on his faces, before calming down.

The Doctor looked relieved, "Hazel? Are you—"

"Sorry," I interrupted, "The... Heart machine thing fell. Got scared for a second, and then my wing hit it."

He paused for a second. "Canton told us that you went to the basement of the Orphanage alone," the Doctor cut in, now looking a bit pissed off. "Hazel, why would you do that!? That was reckless; stupid!"

"Sorry," I apologized quickly. "Can we not talk about it right now?"

"No, because you keep pulling stuff like this and expect to not get hurt!" He scolded. "You're going to get yourself hurt, or even worse, _killed_!"

"But I'm not," I argued. "Doctor, I can take care of myself. I know it was a bit reckless to go—"

"A bit!?"

"—off on my own, but I needed to check out the basement. And I'm glad I did. Those tunnels, back in the warehouse, I think they all lead to the orphanage."

"I don't care about the tunnels!!" The Doctor yelled. I blinked, surprised by the amount of withheld rage. "You shouldn't have went alone! You should have had someone go with you! Canton was there, Amy was there—"

"Canton was interrogating and examining the main floor and Amy was upstairs!" I shot back, "Nobody was there in the first place, and besides, I don't need a babysitter."

"Really, because you're acting like a child."

"' _Acting like a child_ '?!" I scoffed, "When have I acted like a child? I never act like a child, if anything I act like an adult!"

"How about right now when you went in by self? Or maybe when you allowing Canton to use lethal weapons in you? Or maybe when you left with no protection in Germany? Oh! Or maybe when you somehow got taken to a cabin and was beat up!?"

"It wasn't my fault!" I screamed, "Do you think I asked for all that to happen!? Do you think I wanted to be hurt or put myself in danger!?"

"Yeah, it really seems like it."

"Well I haven't died yet, so does it matter?"

He glared at me, his angry dull green eyes piercing my hazel brown ones. He let out a mocking scoff, "You'd think a person who was experimented on and tortured would be more cautious about their actions!"

I stared at him, my eyes wide, until finally I glared with such intensity, such rage and hatred that I saw him take a step back. "You know what, Doctor? I don't give a _fuck_ about what you think," I growled. "You wanna know how I escaped the School? I didn't. I was taken to some rich pedophile and used as a slave for his own amusement. And I hated, **hated** it. So one day, I had enough, and I killed him. I killed him and everyone else in that house and I left. I was six years old, Doctor. _Six_. So, you have _no fucking right_ to tell me that I act like a child, or that I'm not mature. The things that I've seen; that I've been through, nobody should have to go through that."

The Doctor stared at me. Tears fell down my face, and my wings curled around my body in order to hide me from him. "Haze—"

"Just go." I muttered. "Leave me alone."

"Hazel, I'm sorry. I didn't—" I glared up at him, my watery eyes a burning yellow.

"Leave!" I heard footsteps going to the door before it finally sealed shut. I ran a hand down my face. _He just had to make me think of that, didn't he? After all these years, after suppressing the memories if that... That place so hard, he just had to do it!?_

I growled in anger, taking the first thing my hand could find, which happened to be a medical tray filled with items. I flung it at the wall with such force that the glass tray shattered into pieces, scattering itself on the ground.

I sat there, huffing for a few seconds, before closing my eyes and sighing loudly. More tears betrayed my eyes and in seconds I was full on sobbing. It was ugly sobs, the ones where you just can't stop, but after concealing those emotions for all these years and never having the chance to vent it all out... Well I was going to break at some point.

It felt like hours I had been in here, by myself. I ran a hand through my hair, _sitting here, crying wasn't going to get me anywhere. I'm not a child, so I need to stop acting like one. Get up. Talk to River or Canton. Holding a grudge against the Doctor will get me nowhere anyway_.

And so, I mechanically stood up, pushing my body out of the bed, and taking out all the needles that punctured my skin.

I winced, touching my side. I was hurt earlier... What happened again?? I don't remember...

I sighed, deciding this to be the cause of one of those aliens and made my way down the hall.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
"I'm fine," I insisted, but Rory's crossed arms did not uncross themselves from his chest, and his frown didn't budge.

I plopped down on the worn captain's seat that was close to the TARDIS. The Doctor was working on the console doing god knows what. River stood beside him, giving her two cents every now and hen. Rory and Canton leaned on the railing, Canton simply listening in out our conversation but not saying anything.

"You're still hurt!" He argued, "You shouldn't even be out of bed, much less help us look for Amy."

"I said that I'm fine," I snapped back, "Look—I'm up and moving! I'm not bumping into things am I? Besides, it wasn't that bad. It was just a cut, and besides I heal quickly. Nothing to fuss over."

"I gotta agree with Rory on this one, Hazel," River spoke up, turning around to look at us. "You'll be no use to us injured, Hazel. Resting up is the most logical answer right now."

I narrow my eyes as her, "What about Amy? Being lazy isn't going to save her any faster!"

"We will find Amy," Rory assured.

"Yeah, we will," I agreed. "We _all_ will! So, keeping one of us here to sleep isn't going to help our odds fighting against a race of aliens who, by the way, has been leeching off the memories of humans for god knows how long! We all need to find Amy! Not just you three and currently, I am the strongest one here, physically wise, of course." I looked around, the Doctor was still working on whatever he was doing, but River frowned at me.

"Hazel, I know you wanna find Amy but—"

"But what?" I scoffed, interrupting the blonde, curly haired woman.

" _But_ , if you're injured then that'll just put you at half of the power that you can potentially use. If you rest to regain this power. Would this not be the more logical decision?"

"Our priority is to find Amy," I said through clenched teeth. "Sleeping isn't!"

"This is about something else, isn't it?" The Doctor spoke up, not turning to look at me, or anyone else. He's still working on the console.

"What are you talking about?" I rolled my eyes.

"I mean, you were the one who left Amy, so you must think this is your fault." For a second I was taken back by his words. _My fault? How was any of this_ ** _my_** _fault!?_

"I don't think you know what you're talking about," I glared.

"Really? Because I think I know exactly what I'm talking about," he snapped. "Had you never left Amy alone then this would never have happened."

"Leave Amy alone!? She's a grown woman! She had her orders, she could handle herself!"

"Well, obviously not seeing as she's _missing_!"

"And what was I supposed to do about that!? I'm nobody's babysitter."

"You could've been sensible!" He threw his hands in the air in frustration. "Make sure Amy was safe! Or, better yet, you could have taken her to the basement with you so nobody was left alone!"

"Oh were not having this argument again," I hissed. "I left her because she was fine! She wasn't dying, I didn't know she was going to get jumped by aliens!"

"Hmm, who would've thought that in a building full of aliens, someone might get abducted _by an alien_!!"

"Hey!" River yelled, splitting us up, and holding our shoulders away from each other. "You both need to go sit down! Arguing will get us _nowhere_!" The woman turned to me, "You go downstairs and cool off. Come back up when you're ready."

"I don't need to cool off! I need to help find Amy and—"

"That's an order, Hazel," River's glare was fierce and a bit angry. I pressed my lips into a straight line, giving her a heavy glare before stomping off and heading down the steps.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
I sat on the bottom of the steps, shifting a ball of metal between my fingers to keep me entertained.

Footsteps lightly stepped down the stairs behind me before sitting down next to me. It was the Doctor. For a few minutes, he watched me weaved the metal ball between my fingers, not saying anything for a bit.

"Hazel I'm—"

"You're right," I admitted, cutting off his apology. "I could've helped Amy. If I had just stayed with her, then this would never have happened."

"Don't blame yourself, Hazel," the Doctor sighed. "It wasn't your fault. If anything, I shouldn't have argued with you like that. It was immature on my part."

I sighed, looking at the metal paneling on the steps. "Sorry, about getting mad..." I muttered. "I... Shouldn't be reckless. We've got a bit of a crisis on our hands and having a screaming match isn't helping us find Amy any faster..."

He didn't say anything for a few seconds. I internally frowned, _did I... Do something wrong_? "I missed you, Hazel," the Doctor told me, making me blink in surprise as he continued. "I didn't—I never anticipated for you to want to go. Not that it's bad thing, no. I just didn't want to find you, half dead in the middle of nowhere, Germany. I care so much about you because... I think of you as my own daughter, and I don't want anything to happen to you. "

"You... You really think that?" I hesitantly asked. The Doctor gave me a warm smile.

"I'd be lying if I said otherwise," he answered, pushing my shoulder gently. I scoffed lightly, looking away, trying to hide the smile on my face.

"What's this supposed to be? We hug and make up?" I laughed, "God, this sounds like a chick flick or something."

He laughed, getting up, "C'mon we gotta find Amy, remember?"

I only nodded, looking at my fingers. The Doctor gently took my hand and led me up the steps. As I slowly watched his figure climbed up the metal stairs, I realized something.

_The Doctor had been the first male in my life to play a significant role. He changed me, to something I never dreamed of becoming. He taught me things that I never truly thought about. And most of all, he cared for me in a way I never had been. He was more than my friend... He was... Like a father._

_And I wouldn't want it any other way._  
 **•-•-•-•-•-•**  
We had set up a plan to find Amy.

River, Rory, and the Doctor would go back to the warehouse to look over the space suit and find anything else they could on their the Silence or the girl.

Canton was to go back to Area 51 cell to talk to the alien that they captured, and apparently Canton shot—although he doesn't quite remember himself doing so.

I was searching in about a 30-50 mile radius of the area from the orphanage to find the girl. She couldn't have gotten too far from the Orphanage. Somehow, she also had a connection with the Silence so we needed her for information.

Of course, flying in circles looking for someone isn't the most interesting task, it felt good to go out and feel the wind in my feathers. A small part of me wondered why I ever agreed to going in the TARDIS and staying cooped up in there when I could be doing this!

_Of course, on the other side it is the chance to time travel in space and time, so who would pass up that opportunity?_

Chuckling to myself, I continued to search the ground from above, looking for the young girl.  
 **•-•-•-•-•-•**  
Hours of searching and still no result. I huffed to myself, rather irritated. _Where did this child go!? It would be literally impossible for her to get far without someone—anyone—to see her!_

A vibrating on my person made me stop flying, and stay still. I pulled out the cellphone, answering it. "Yeah? What's up?"

" _We found something_ ," Rory's voice rang through the device. " _Did you find the girl yet?"_

I gave a weary sigh, "No. I have no clue where this kid could have gone in such short time!" I growled, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "What did the Doctor find?"

_"... Uhm..."_

"You know what? Just wait. I'll meet you guys at the warehouse."

" _How far are you?"_

"Uhm..." I pursed my lips, "A few miles..."

" _How few?"_

"Like, eighty?"

_"That's going to take forever for you to come back! Why don't you stay where you are and wait for the Doctor to pick you you?"_

"No, that'll take to long. Let the Doctor ramble for a bit, I'll—" I paused, my ears perking up and the hair on my neck standing on ends. I looked around in the dark, only having the moonlight illuminating the night.

_"Hazel? You still there?"_

"Hmm? Yeah I—" the sound of a gun cocking made me gasp.

_"Hazel? Is everything okay? What's going on?"_

"I–I gotta go," I muttered, being to fly away. The sound of a gunshot sailing through the air, made me jump, covering my head.

_"Hazel!? What's going on!?"_

"Give me a _second_!" I yelled, barely moving away as another bullet narrowly skimmed my wing.

Pumping my wings as hard as I can, I flew out of the area, "... _Hazel? Hazel, are you okay!?"_

"Listen to me: I'm going east. There's three stars, ones red, another's green, and then there's a light blue one. The red ones next to a star that looks like an open box, th–the blue one is at the tip of a 'y'. Uhm," I scanned the ground. "There's a swamp under me, a few clear areas but it's mostly empty."

" _Why don't you just dodge the bullets_!?" Rory shouted.

"They're fucking copper, that's why!" I shouted irritably. "I can't control that! Now hurry, I don't know if I—" another gunshot went straight through the top bone of my wing. I screamed, dropping the phone to hold my wing. My body curved as I struggled to keep up straight, which wasn't working.

My body fell hundreds of feet before getting entangled with the leaves on the moist trees. Much to my luck, I fell into a large swampy area. When my body collided with the water, a large splash of water rose in the air, before sinking into the water behind me. I quickly tried pick my heavy wings up, and struggle to fly away. The ground had been too soft to kick off from, not to mention the wound in my wing. I wasn't going to be able to fly for a few days.

The sound of a running engine make my ears perk up. I scrambled to get up, but my foot slipped on a conveniently placed rock, landing in the water once more.

"There it is," a voice shouted behind me. "Contain it! Doctor Fiona wants the Rogue subject unharmed!"

My eyes fractioned at the name, _Doctor Fiona!? That was the same bitch that took me away when I fell into Any's yard!_

"No," I groaned, running as fast as I could away. The sound of night creatures humming in the dark mixed with the rapid footsteps of men running behind me. Probably having heard me trying to escape, more gunshots pierced through the air, landing in nearby trees or narrowly missing me.

 _Get out! Get out! Get out_! My mind screamed at me and my heart pounding in my chest, adrenaline racing in my veins.

I unfurled my wings, ignoring the burning pain that was sending signals to my mind saying 'no!' With all my energy, I pushed my body into the air, pumping my wings as hard as I could. I got at least five feet in the air, before several other bullets lodged itself in my wing. My face twisted into pain, a strangled scream releasing from my throat and I fell, hitting the ground. I tried to move my wing, only to find it unresponsive.

" _No_..." I whispered in horror as the men gathered around me, all pointing guns at my head. I tried to get up, only to have my body pushed back down into the softened dirt.

I thrashed around in their arms, "Let me go!!" I screamed, my eyes glowing yellow in the darkness.

The men only laughed at my feeble attempts of escape, "Knock it out," a gruff voice ordered. Before I knew it, the blunt force of a weapon hit the back of my head rendering me unconscious.  
 **•-•-•-•-•-•**  
3rd POV  
It wasn't long after that the Doctor arrived in his TARDIS. Using the directions that Hazel had given him, he was able to direct the TARDIS approximately eighty miles east of the Orphanage. She had also vaguely pointed out the planets that she was able to see, according to Rory. Neptune, Mars, and Saturn. Plus, the rather swampy land beneath her, which is common in Florida.

With all this, the Doctor was able to pinpoint her location, Santa Fe Swamp.

Quickly landing the TARDIS safely, the Doctor hurried out of the TARDIS, "Hazel!?" He yelled, wading through the at least knee-high waters. There was no response. Now the Doctor really began to panic, again. How could she be gone so easily!? How could he have let her slip through his fingers like sand?!

"Doctor?" River said beside him, "Doctor, what do we do?"

He pressed his lips thin, thinking of a solution. "We need to find Amy. There's a chance that the same thing that took her took Hazel as well." The two stared at him, slightly bewildered by his conclusion.

"What if she's isn't there?" Rory hesitantly asked.

The Doctor snapped, throwing his hands up in the air, " _THEN I DON'T, BLOODY KNOW_!"

He glared into the darkness. Then, ran a hand down his face. How does two of his best humans friends leave like that!? _Why_?! He could understand wanting to take Hazel because of her wings. He wanted to think that it was something from the School, but he highly doubted it. Why would they need both of them!? Amy had nothing to do with the School!!

Another heavy sigh, it was all just... _Stressful_.  
•-•-•-•-•  
Hazel's POV  
I groaned, my head pounding. Every muscle in my body wanted to stay still, lay down and not move for another millennium. Yet, my instincts screamed otherwise.

 _Where am I? What's going on_? I racked my brain for the last thing I remember. _I_ _was... Flying. Looking for the little girl in the space suit. Then... I fell. Someone shot me._

I winced, remembering what happened at full force. "Gah..." I groaned, moving to hold my head. The sound of rattling shackles made my eyes widen. _Wh... What? What's this!? What's going on?!_

I tried to move, only to have my movements restricted. My breathing became rapid and I looked around for any kind of key, or–or something, but the room was a threatening pitch black, the kind of black you'd see after night terrors where people would warn you that it was where demons that would kill you in the night would hide. It was a scary dark that terrified me. Anything could happen in the dark, and to not have control over what was happening sent unneeded, or wanted, chills down my spine.

I thrashed against the metal that merely clattered against the walls of my dog cage. My small cage. My small, small cage that made it seem like me the walls of said cage was closing in. It seemed like the smallness of the dog cage my body was forced in was working with the darkness that surrounded me to choke me.

I gagged on literally nothing, trying to get my airways to work. I could feel the Whitecoats gloved fingers working around my neck. Touching and prodding, sticking their long needles through my skin.

"Stop." I croaked, trying to move against the sides of my cage. "Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Sto—"

The door opened revealing a bright light. The darkness seemed to lessen its hold on me, allowing me to breathe and clear my thoughts. Who was that? Where am I?!

"Subject 63-2a," a familiar, feminine voice purred. My back went rigid, my eyes widening. _Not again, not again. No. No! No! No! No! N—_

"How about we finish what we started last time, hmm?" She mused, trailing her long fingers along the sides of the cage. "Tell us everything you know about Maximum Ride."

I mustered up enough courage to glare at her, "Fuck off," I spat.

She tsk'd me, waving a lanky finger with a long nail that seemed a little too sharp for comfort. "Let's try that again, shall we?" She snapped her fingers, and then two large men came from the door, this time they surprisingly _weren't_ Erasers. One of them unlocked the plastic cage, lifting me out of the cage and pushing my body to the wall where I was once again met with plastic bonds on my arms up above my head.

"Where is Maximum Ride?" She demanded, and I glared daggers at her, keeping my mouth defiantly shut. She merely laughed, her green eyes shining with sadism. She pulled out a remote, and held down the middle button on it.

Electricity raked through my body, and I screamed, squeezing my eyes shut. The electrifying sensation sent my hair in ends and my senses haywire.

Finally, the woman let go, and the electricity died down. "I'll ask again: _Where is Maximum Ride?"_

I breathed heavily, my head hanging down. Once again, the woman pressed the button and another chorus of screams left my body.   
•-•-•-•-•  
It had been quite a few days. At least, I think it has. I lost track trying to count and seeing this place that I have been trapped in didn't have windows, I had to guess. Well, that and I haven't been able to sleep since I arrived as well.

The Bitch, as I now like to call her, has been desperately trying to get information about the Flock out of me, but of course, I loyally refused. She tried all kinds of things, even had a few human guards beat me up. Hell, she even brought in an alien trying to brainwash me, but somehow, it didn't work.

She had complained to someone that the psychic link wasn't ' _strong enough_ ' anymore. As great as a conversation topic that would have been, the Bitch refused to say anything, and only tried to electrocute me even more. _Delightful_.

"Where is Maximum Ride!?" She asked, whatever patience she had was gone a few days ago.

Finally, I looked up at her, annoyed and furious. My eyes burning yellow with rage, "I–I hope yo–you eat fuc–fucking sh–shit and _die_ , bitch," I spat. All the electricity that she was pushing into my body had caused me to grow a temporary stutter on my words.

The Bitch's eyes narrowed, and she mercilessly pressed the button causing electricity to course throughout bones once again. I bit my lip till it bled to keep myself from screaming.

"Doctor Fiona," a males' voice said, causing her to whirl around, probably angry someone interrupted her torture session, starring me.

"What is it?!" She practically hissed at the man. I chuckled at her short tempered, but she must have heard it, because she shocked me again. I winced and stayed silent, listening to their conversation.

"There had been a breach," he informed. "We believe that the Time Lord will be coming for the human girl soon."

A smirk grew on her face, and she grinned, "Good. Take Subject 63-2a to the room that the human is. Keep it in the plastic cage, we wouldn't want it causing trouble. And make sure there is a electrical current ready, just in case it tries anything."

"Yes, Doctor Fiona," he nodded. Him, and the two other soldiers went over to me, and I glared at him, growling threateningly. When one if his gloved hands tried to touch me, I gnashed my teeth against him, narrowly missing a finger.

Once the bonds on my hands came down, I fell to the ground, my legs feeling like jelly, my arms as weak as wet noodles. I shivered as their cold hands touched my bare skin. They threw me in the cage carelessly, easily locking it up.

The three soldiers dragged the cage across the metal ground. My eyes widened and I tried to take at least a little, only to have a large shock go through my leg, coming from the anklet surrounding my ankle. I lurched, retracing my hand.

" _Subject 63-2a_ ," The Bitch spoke up as the men dragged the cage down the hall. "Did you know that when you try to control metal, the iron in your blood goes up significantly. Of corse, we realized this, and create that device on your ankle. If there are signs of iron in your blood increasing, the anklet shocks you. The more you try to control metal, the higher the shock gets."

I glared at her, and she laughed, "Hurry up. I would like to watch my little play on a screen at the other base."

"Yes, ma'am," the guards nodded. Seconds later, we made it to a large with some kind of device in the center on a podium. There was also a retro style television off to the side, which definitely fit it this timeline, seeing as it was 1969. Amy was near the side, unconscious.

"He should be coming in minutes now," the guard said, hurrying out of the room and closing the door, behind them.

Once I could make sure that nobody was there, I turned to look at Amy, "Amy! A–Amy, get up!" I hissed between my bars, but she didn't move. I groaned in irritation, trying to find anything that I could toss at her really quick, but finding nothing of the sort. Surprisingly, the metal floor was rather clean.

Then, one of the aliens strode over to Amy, I gasped, loving back, only to have my wing hit the plastic bars. I hissed, squeezing my eyes shut, getting a painful reminder that they were shot multiple times. It even felt like they left the bullet in there!

I heard Amy groan, stirring and waking up, "Where am I? Where is this?" She demanded, glaring at the alien who stood before her.

"Amy?!" I called.

"Hazel? Are you here too!?" She answered.

"You are Amelia Pond," the alien informed her.

"You're ugly. Has anyone mentioned that to you?" She sneered.

"We do you honour," the Alien continued. "You will bring the Silence. But your part will soon be over."

"Whatever that means, you've made a big mistake, bringing me and Hazel, because wait until you see what's coming for you now," she spat at the alien.

"You have been here many days," the Alien said, as if annoyed with her words.

"No, I just got here!" She argued, fiercely. "You just put me in here."

"Your memory is weak," it hissed. "You have been here many days."

"No. No, I can't have been," she turned to me. "Tell it that it's wrong, Hazel! We just got here!"

"... Amy..." I murmured, looking at the ground.

"You will sleep now," the alien said, coming down over her. "Sleep."

"No."

"Sleep."

"No. Get off me. No. No!"

"Don't fucking touch her!" I screamed at the alien, trying to kick the cage door. Unfortunately, it was very durable, and didn't budge.

"Sleep," he pressed, nearly touching the woman.

"No!"

The sound of TARDIS engines whirring made my eyes widened and I gasped. In mere seconds, the TARDIS had materialized. And then the Doctor stepped out, grinning like a madman. "Oh, interesting. Very Aickman Road," he announced, walking around the center. "I've seen one of these before. Abandoned. I wonder how that happened? Oh, well I suppose I'm about to find out. Rory, River, keep one Silent in eyeshot at all times. Oh, hello. Sorry, you were in the middle of something. I just had to say, though, have you seen what's on the telly? Oh, hello, Amy. Are you all right? Want to watch some television? Ah. Now, stay where you are. Because look at me, I'm confident. You want to watch that, me, when I'm confident. Hello Hazel! Why are you in that small thing, oh dear that might be too! I guess I'll have to get you out of there, eh? Oh, and this is my friend River. Nice hair, clever, has her own gun, and unlike me, she really doesn't mind shooting people. I shouldn't like that. Kind of do, a bit. "

More aliens began to come in from the sides of the room, as if to swarm out of an anthill.

River smirked at his remark, "Thank you, sweetie."

"I know you're team players and everything, but she'll definitely kill at least the first three of you," the Doctor warned.

"Well, the first seven, easily," she corrected.

"Seven? Really?"

"Oh, eight for you, honey."

"Stop it."

"Make me."

"Yeah? Well, maybe I will."

"Is this really important flirting? Because I feel like Hazel and I should be higher on the list right now," Amy snapped irritated.

"I second that," I said making my opinion heard.

"Yes. Right. Sorry,"the Doctor nodded, apologizing. "As I was saying, my naughty friend here is going to kill the first three of you to attack, plus him behind, so maybe you want to draw lots or have a quiz."

The Doctor pointed his sonic at the door, undoing the lock. I kicked the door open easily, swiftly coming out of the enclosed space. "Thanks," I called, standing up straight, but curling my wings behind my back.

The Aliens turned to me, "You will get back in your cage, Subject 63-2a," one of them ordered.

"You will shut the hell up," I snapped. "Here's a word of advice, never piss off a bird kid, because someone doesn't make it out alive afterwards."

The Alien hissed at me, but before it could do anything, the Doctor continued talking. "Or maybe you could just listen a minute," he continued. "Because all I really want to do is accept your total surrender and then I'll let you go in peace. Yes, you've been interfering in human history for thousands of years. Yes, people have suffered and died, but what's the point in two hearts, if you can't be a bit forgiving, now and then?" The aliens hissed at him, as if to reject his suggestion."Ooo, the Silence. You guys take that seriously, don't you? Okay, you got me. I'm lying. I'm not really going to let you go that easily. Nice thought, but it's not Christmas. First, you tell me about the girl. Who is she? Why is she important? What's she for?"

Before the slice could speak up, the old television beat it. " _And we're getting a picture on the TV_."

"Guys, sorry, but you're way out of time," the Doctor sighed. "Now, come on. A bit of history for you. Aren't you proud? Because you helped. Now, do you know how many people are watching this live on the telly? Half a billion. And that's nothing, because the human race will spread out among the stars. You just watch them fly. Billions and billions of them, for billions and billions of years, and every single one of them at some point in their lives, will look back at this man, taking that very first step, and they will never, ever forget it."

" _Okay, engine stop. ATA on the descent. Modes control both auto. Descent engine command off_. "

The Doctor pulled an oversized phone out of his pocket. "Oh. But don't forget this bit. Ready?"

" _Ready_ ," Canton's voice said from the other end.

 _"... That's one small step for a man—_ " the television of a man in a white suit is interrupted by a picture of the Silence.

" **You should kill us all on sight. You should kill us all on sight. You should kill us all on sight. You should kill us all on sight**."

"You've given the order for your own execution," the Doctor mocked. "And the whole planet just heard you."

" **You should kill us all on sight**."

_"—One giant leap for mankind_

"And one whacking great kick up the backside for the Silence!" The Doctor laughed, kicking the air. "You just raised an army against yourself and now, for a thousand generations, you're going to be ordering them to destroy you every day. How fast can you run? Because today's the day the human race throw you off their planet. They won't even know they're doing it. I think, quite possibly, the word you're looking for right now is oops. Run! Guys, I mean us. _Run_."

Taking this warning I hurry over to Amy to help get the metal off her wrists and set her free. The Silence is charging up some kind of electricity to shoot at us. "I can't get her out!" Rory shouted at the Doctor.

"Go. Go," Amy argued.

"We are not leaving without you," Rory stated firmly.

"Look, will you just get your stupid face out of here!" She shouted. I grimaced, taking the thing in my hands. I pulled it apart, forcing the metal to bend out of the way to get her body out of the chair. I hissed, feeling the sharp pangs of electricity flow through m body, but I stubbornly ignored it.

" **GAH**!" I cried in triumph as it finally snapped. I grabbed Amy's hand and ran into the TARDIS, with Rory right behind us.

"Don't let them build to full power," the Doctor warned.

" I know. There's a reason why I'm shooting, honey," River reminded, not stopping her gun from shooting in rapid movements. "What are you doing?"

" _Helping_." He was sonicking at nothing.

"You've got a _screwdriver_! Go build a cabinet."

"That's really rude," he pouted.

"Learn how to drive," she retorted. I chuckled, moving to sit down near the railing as River finished off the rest of the Silences.

Soon though, we were going once more. Everyone went to go hug Amy , very happy to see her in one piece. I sat near the side, not moving at all, which was probably not the best thing to do, because the Doctor must have thought that I died or something.

"Hazel!? Are you okay?" He asked coming to my side. Gently, he lifted me off the ground and to a actual seat.

"Yeah. Yeah. Fine. Just tired s'all. In fact... I think I'm gonna go to... To sleep...." My head fell on the Doctor's arm and my eyes slammed shut, greeting me with darkness.  
 **•-•-•-•-•-•**  
It seemed as if it were s common routine to wake up in the infirmary. I quickly rose from the bed to see the Doctor just sitting there, reading a book. He looked up and grinned, "Someone's awake."

I laughed, "Sorry. Wasn't able to sleep. I needed some rest."

"You seemed tired. How about I leave you alone to get more sleep?"

"That would help," I nodded. "So..." I paused, "When do you want me gone?"

He blinked, "What do you mean?"

"You know. To go and... Find the Flock. I mean, I kinda expect you to... You know, kick me out."

"I... Never planned on kicking you out, Hazel," he frowned.

"Well, I thought that since we all, ya know, finished saving the world and stuff, you wouldn't want me here anymore..."

"I man, I'm fine with you staying, if you want, of course."

I nodded. "Oh. Okay. Well, that sounds, uhm... Fine."

He nodded as well, "Good. I'm going to let you recover, then."

"Great. Thanks," I replied as he left through the door.

It was unbeknownst to either of us that we were both grinning excitedly like madmen as soon as the door closed.


	13. chapter thirteen:

Chapter 13:  
Hazel's POV

"So, where are we going this time?" I asked, swinging my legs on the railing, my wings fully out. It had been a few weeks after the Silence incident, so the four of us, Amy and Rory, who we had picked up along the way, the Doctor and I, we're going to go out and have another adventure.

"There's a strange signal coming from a distress ship that I would like to check out before going drag racing on the Pletunion Starcraft. It'll only take a mo," the Doctor explained. He pulled down a lever just as I jumped off the rail to keep me from falling on the ground and breaking something. Several seconds later, the TARDIS had arrived and the shaking stopped.

"Come along," the Doctor said with a cheerful wave, going to the door, with each of us following in line after him. We were in a strange room with a few barrels that were empty or dusty, making me sneeze, rubbing my nose.

The Doctor opened up the door grinning, "Yo ho ho!" He greeted a room full of large men, and my eyes narrowed. "Or does nobody actually say that?" It took the men not even a second to tie him up and take him into a different room.   
**•-•-•-•-•**  
When he came out, he was still tied up and being dragged to the plank. Rory, Amy, and I had also been held by some of the other pirates with our hands behind our backs. "Walk!" The Captain ordered.

"I suppose that laughing like that is in the job description," the Doctor said, chuckling. "Can you do the laugh? Check. Grab yourself a parrot. Welcome aboard."

"Stocks are low," the Captain continued, "Only one barrel of water remains. We don't need four more empty bellies to fill. Take the doxies below to the galley. Set them to work. They won't need much feeding."

I snorted at that comment, "You'd be amazed by how much food I need, actually." The tanned man's grip behind me got tighter for the comment, but I simply rolled my eyes.

Amy, instead, turns to her husband, "Rory? A little help?" It was a sweet gesture, but it wasn't like he could do anything. He was being held by a big, and seemingly strong, African man.

"Yeah," he firmly nodded, turning to the Captain. "Hey, listen, right? She's _not_ a doxy."

"Really?" I scoffed, "Thanks Rory for the reminder."

"I didn't mean just tell him off," Amy gave a short sigh. "Thanks anyway."

"If you're lucky you'll _drown_ before the sharks can take a bite!" The Captain sneered.

"If this is just because I'm a captain too, you know, you shouldn't feel threatened. Your ship is much bigger than mine," The Doctor said. "And I don't have the cool boots. Or a hat, even."

"Time to go," The Captain said, cocking a gun at the Doctor.

"A bit more laughter, guys?" The Doctor asked with a nervous laugh, staring down the barrel of a gun. "Hazel?"

"It's copper, and not enough metal," I answered. "Plus, the gun is loaded and cocked so one wrong move with that and I could either save your life or substantially blow your brains out."

The Doctor grimaced at the thought and decided to turn the topic elsewhere. "Where are the rest of the crew?" He asked, "This is a big ship. Big for five of you. I suppose the rest of them are hiding some place, and they're going to jump out and shout boo."

"Boo!" Amy shouted, wearing a full new outfit and jumping out from the side. Having heard her loud steps earlier, I ducked to the side, just as she slashed at the pirate behind me with a sword, barely missing his bearded face.

"Throw the gun down," she ordered the Captain in all her fake-wannabe pirate glory. He obeys, setting his gun on the ground, and she kicks it away. "The rest of you, on your knees!" She ordered, but they didn't move.

"Amy, what are you doing?" The Doctor asked in a small, hissing voice.

"Saving your life. Okay with that, are you?" She teased.

"Put down the sword. A sword could kill us all, girl," the Captain growled, but Amy merely rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, thanks. That is actually why I'm pointing it at you," she answered sarcasm lacing her tone.

Then, the other pirates began to attack, all brandishing wooden swords. I rose an eyebrow at the strange... I don't even think that I could call it a battle. It's more like a ' _oh no, don't hit me_ ' kind of situation. Whenever Amy jabs at one of the Pirates win her sword, they immediately run away like it's on fire.

Amy runs up the steps, swing the blade at one of the ropes and accidentally cut the man's finger who was holding Rory. His face looked absolutely crest-fallen. "You have killed me," he said mournfully.

"No way. It's just a cut," she pouts. "What kind of _rubbish_ _pirates_ are you!?"

"One drop, that's all it takes," The Captain hissed. "One drop of blood and she'll rise out of the ocean."

Amy rolled her eyes, mad because they were not playing ' _pirates_ ' right. "Come on, I barely even scratched him," she insisted. "What are you all in such a huff about?" She going to make another swing, but she is grabbed from behind, making her drop the sword as she is dragged away.

"Amy!" I shouted, pulling against the man behind me, but he only holds tighter.

I growled at the man, about to do something when suddenly, Rory cried, "Ow! Argh!" He gets up, and I see a black spot on his hand, "Er, Doctor, what's happening to me?"

My eyes widened and I kick the man in the shins, getting myself out of his grip. He didn't quite care and went to his African friend as I went to Rory, "Let me see." I ordered, taking his hands into mine. A perfect black circle was marked on his hand, and on the other, a straight thin cut.

"What in the world?" I muttered, going into my back pocket and pulling out a pocket knife, and about to make a cut on my arm to heal him, but the Doctor quickly stopped me.

"She can smell the blood on your skin," the Captain explained. "She's marked you for death."

"She?" Rory questioned.

"A demon, out there in the ocean."

"Okay," I sighed, getting up, "You're crazy, we have that settled."

"Don't call me mad before you see it with ya own eyes!" He snapped.

"Please, I've seen demons, so whatever's out there in the water probably _isn't_ one." I frowned.

"Religious?" The Captain questioned.

"Far from it," I snapped back. Before we could go at each other's throats, the Doctor stopped us.

"Okay. _Groovy_. So not just pirates today. We've managed to bagsy a ship where there's a _demon_ popping in. _Very_ efficient. I mean, if something's going to kill you, it's nice that it _drops you a note_ to remind you."

A soft wordless tune begins to float in the air. I turn around immediately, trying to find the tune. I wince as it gets louder, my eyebrow twitching, "Quickly now, block out the sound!" One of the men say, trying to cover their ears.

"What?" Rory asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The _creature_. She charms all her victims with that song," the Captain explained frantically.

"Oh, great. So put my fingers in my ears, that's your plan?" He scoffed, "Doctor, come on. Let's go. Let's get back to the er, back to the er..." He cuts himself off when he and the African man start giggling like schoolgirls.

"The music. It's working on him!" The pirate exclaimed, "Look."

"You are _so_ beautiful~," Rory complimented Amy, giddily, but Amy has a disgusted look on her face.

"What?"

"I love your get up!" He laughed, "That's great. You should dress as a pirate more often. Hey, hey, cuddle me, shipmate~," he dives for her, aiming to wrap his arm around her and kiss her, but she easily ducks out of the way, so he stumbles in front of one of the other pirates.

"Rory, stop," Amy said, not really knowing what to do.

"Everything is totally brilliant, isn't it?" He laughed, "Look at these brilliant pirates. Look at their brilliant beards. I'd like a beard. I'm going to grow a beard."

"You're not," Amy denied immediately.

"The music turns them into fools!" The Captain said. A bright light glows out of the corner of my eye, I turn quickly to see a beautiful woman rising from the water, her singing voice getting louder and louder, with every second more mesmerizing. She rises from the water and lands softly on the boat. I ruffled my eyebrows, unconsciously taking a step towards her, just as Rory and the African man did.

The African man was the first to go to her, as she singing louder as he approached, his fingers barely made contact with the woman's fingers before he disintegrated into a cloud of soot.

I immediately stepped back, but Rory was still going. "I have to touch her," he whispered in a dramatic voices. "Let me touch her."

"Don't touch her," I ordered, my eyes blazing yellow. "Stop in your tracks and stay completely still." Like a puppet he obeyed my orders, but his hand was still reaching out to the woman. Amy easily fixed this, pulling him away from the woman.

"Sorry, but he is spoken for," Amy seethed at the woman, making her turn an angry red. She screamed, sending a blast of energy at Amy, making her fly back, taking me down in the process. My hold on Rory disappears and he continues to walk.

My head collided with a wooden pole. I groaned, falling on the ground, my head pounded. I feel someone take my hand and help me up. "Amy! Hazel! Everybody into the hold," the Doctor ordered, "Rory! Come on!"

Someone drags Rory away, bringing into hold, "Hey! Wait!" He shouted before the door was securely closed.

There is a few inches of water in this room, "You alright?" Amy asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, I'll live," I groaned, tubing my head.

"What is that thing?" Amy asked the Doctor.

"The legend," The Captain said in a dreading tone. "The siren. Many a merchant ship laden with treasure has fallen prey to her. She's been hunting us ever since we were becalmed, picking off the injured."

"Like a shark. A shark can smell blood," one of the other men say.

"Okay," the Doctor nodded. "Just like a shark, in a dress. And singing. And green? A green singing shark in an evening gown."

"Hey, to be honest, that's something that I would like to see," I shrugged with a small chuckle. The Doctor gives me a light glare, but I rolled my eyes, "Oh come on, you have to admit! She was _pretty_!"

"The ship is cursed!" The Captain shouted, but the Doctor seemed to disagree.

"Yeah, right," he scoffed. "Cursed is big with humans. It means bad things are happening but you can't be bothered to find an explanation."

"She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Rory awed.

"Oi, I suggest your shut it now," I muttered but the man didn't seem to hear me over his awing.

"Actually, I think you'll find she isn't," Amy said, her eyes narrowed, and her hands on her hips.

"She is!"

"We have to leave right now," she said, angry now.

"That thing of yours really is a ship?" The Captain asked the Doctor, pointing to the TARDIS.

"Well, it's not propelled by the wind—" then there was a gun pointed at his head again.

"Show me," the Captain demanded. "Weigh anchor. Make it sail." Not a second later, I was behind the man, my pocket knife at his throat.

"I'd put that down if I were you," I hissed in his ear.

"And the gun's back. You're big on the gun thing, aren't you," the Doctor said, frowning disapprovingly. "Freud would say you're compensating. Ever met Freud? No? Comfy sofa."

"Leave the cursed one, Captain," one of the other men say, he has a French-like accent. "The creature can have him."

"Yes, please!" Rory begged.

"We don't want the siren coming after us," Amy said, pushing Rory away.

Suddenly, something jumps out of the water and latches itself to the Maybe-French-Man's leg. We all jump back, "It's a leech!" Amy shouted. The man has a look of complete horror on his face.

"Everyone out of the water!" The Doctor ordered.

"It's bitten me," he says like he couldn't even believe his own words. "I'm bleeding!"

"She wants blood. Why does she want blood?" The Doctor demands.

"What were you saying about leaving the cursed ones behind?" Amy said with a nervous laugh.

"It's okay, we're safe down here," the Doctor assured. "No curse is getting through three solid inches of timber." And then there she is, standing on he water.

"You just _had_ to say it!" I hissed.

"Oh! Ah. Hello again," the Doctor greeted as Rory and the man are drawn to her again.

"No! No! No!" Everyone else yells.

"No! Stop!" I shout, my eyes growing yellow again, and he does, his fingers barely touching the woman, I let out a short sigh of relief, along with everyone else. "Good, good. Step away from—" she turned red again, and throws her hand out, sending me back into the Doctor's chest. The man continues walking, and then easily disintegrates.

"Come on, come on," the Doctor says, helping me out of the room.

We leave, the Doctor helping me into another room, "Safe?" Amy questioned, looking around.

"I have my good days and my bad days," the Doctor muttered to himself.

"How did she get in?" The captain asked, bewildered.

"Bilge water," the Doctor explained. "She's using water like a portal, a door. She can materialise through a single drop. We need to go somewhere with no water."

"Well thank god we're not stuck in the middle of the bloody ocean!" Amy drawled sarcastically.

"Did you see her eyes?" Rory spoke up with a sigh, "Like crystal pools."

"Hey, you're digging your own grave buddy," I chuckled to the man. "Might wanna stop while you're ahead."

"The magazine," The Captain finally says.

"What?"

"He means the armoury where the powder's stored," the Doctor explained, excited now.

"It's as dry as a bone!" The Captain continued.

"Good! Let's go there."

"I give the orders," He narrowed his eyes at the alien.

"Ah. Worried because I'm wearing a hat now?" The Doctor teased, going to the door. "Nobody touch anything sharp!" We leave the room, Amy dragging the starry-eyed Rory behind her.

"I can't find the key! Tis gone, Cap'n!" One of the soldiers holding a key ring exclaimed, going through all the keys. "How could it be gone!"

I frowned, stepping forward and tapping on the door. Just as I thought, it easily creaked open. "Someone had the same idea,"  I said stepping into the door.

The room was silent, until I finally heard a soft heartbeat, beating quickly. I strode over, ignoring the others talking, and opened up the barreling came from.

Just as I thought, there is a small boy in the barrel. He coughs, but stared at me with wide, curious eyes. "Found our stowaway," I announced. The Captain came over, staring into the barrel, and then his own eyes widened.

"You fool!" He shouted, pulling the boy out. "You fool, boy. What are you doing here?!"

"Who is he?" The Doctor asked, "What, he's not one of the crew?"

"No. He's my son," he replied, to going back to glaring at the boy. "What in God's name possessed you, boy? Your mother will be searching for you," the boy looked away, and then the Captian's eyes softened, his glare disappearing. "... When?"

"Last winter. Fever," he replied with a thick British accent. "She told me all about you. How you were a Captain in the Navy. An honourable man, she said. How I'd be proud to know you. I've come to join your crew."

"I don't want you here," The Captain snapped.

"You can't send me back. It's too late," the boy argued. "We're a hundred miles from home."

"It's dangerous here!" The Captain said, running a hand through his hair. "There is a monster aboard. She leaves a mark on men's skin."

"The black spot?" The boy asked, raising his hand, where there is another dark spot on it. Everyone stares at him in shock and he coughs again.

"Let me see him," I demanded, pushing past the man and going to the boy. I began to inspect everything, but I couldn't see, nor smell, any blood on the boy. He was fine.

My eyes narrowed, _but he wasn't. He's sick. Earlier the spirit-lady came after the men that had blood on them, but this boy has no blood. Could it be tha—_

"It's not just blood," the Doctor says, pacing the room. "She's coming for all the sick and wounded, like a hunter chooses the weakest animal."

"I figured that," I said, pulling out my knife and quickly slicing my arm. I heard everyone shout in protest but I ignored it. "Come here," I ordered the boy, who reluctantly walked over. I quickly grabbed his face, easing a bit of my blood into his mouth. He gagged, I felt the Captain try to pull me away from him, but I kept him still. "Swallow it," I demanded, my eyes narrowed.

The boy did, but then shot his tongue out afterwards, "What'd you do that for!?" The Captain shouted. I rubbed the left over blood on my arm, looking at the boy.

"Show him your hand," I said, and the boy did. The black spot was gone.

"What... Kind of sorcery..." The Captain mumbled.

"It's not sorcery," I rolled my eyes. "Be grateful, I just saved your kids' life."

"But now you have the spot," the Doctor frowned, taking my hand to inspect it. "I told you not to, Hazel!"

"I'm not going to let a little kid die," I shot back. "Besides, I have my own means of transportation if she somehow gets in here, the driest place on the ship, might I add."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at me, "My ship, it can sail us all away from here." He finally says, turning to the Captain. "You and me, we fetch it. Let's go."

"You're not the Captain here, remember?" The Captain said. I saw the boy moved to open the last barrel of water out of the corner of my eye, I quickly pull him away, just as the Doctor slams the top down on him. "The water's dangerous," the Captain warned his son. "That's how she gets through. One touch of her hand and you're a dead man."

"That was close," I muttered, letting go of the kid.

"We're all cursed if we stay aboard!" One of the Captain's men shout.

"It's not a curse," the Doctor says, "Curse means game over. Curse means we're helpless. We are not helpless. Captain, what's our next move?"

"... Wait here with the girl," he finally answered.

"Captain, we're all in danger here," he tried to explain again.

"I said wait," the Captain snapper. "And barricade the door after we've gone."

Amy turned to the Doctor, "Sure you want to go?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"We have to get Rory and Hazel away," the Doctor explained. "She's out there now, licking her lips, boiling a saucepan, grating cheese."

"Okay," she sighed. "Well, remember, if you get an itch, don't scratch too hard."

"We've all got to go some time," he replied wisely. "There are worse ways than having your face snogged off by a dodgy mermaid."

The Doctor and the Captain leave. I sit on top of one of the barrels, next to the boy. "Hey," I said, making him turn to me. "It's Hazel, by the way."

"Toby."

"Why'd you come all the way out here, Toby?" I asked, "You could've been killed, even if there wasn't a crazy Spirit-mermaid-lady."

He chuckled, "I wanted to meet my father."

"Was it worth it?" 

"... Yeah," he nodded. "I got to see him, maybe he'll let me stay."

"Yeah, maybe he will," I smiled, "Keep at it, kid. You dad's a cool guy." The boy smiled so brightly, it could rival the sun.

Then, one of the men began to un-barricade the door, making the rest of us look at him. "What's going on?" Amy asked, confused at the man's actions.

"We're not staying here to mollycoddle the girl," the man grunted, pulling down another barrel. "The Captain's gone soft. It's time for us to leave."

"He told you to wait, you _dog_!" Toby spat back at him, "He's your Captain, a Naval Officer. You're honour-bound to do as he tells you."

"Honour-bound? Do you know what kind of ship this is?" The man argued, making my eyes narrowed. "Do you know what your father does?"

"Don't listen to him Toby," Amy warned while I simply observed the scene.

"We sail under the black flag. The Jolly Roger!" He exclaimed

"Liar!" Toby accused, "He's _no_ wicked pirate!"

"Oh, you think so?" He countered, "I have seen your father gun down a thousand innocent men."

"Nobody is leaving this room," I ordered, glaring at the man.

"And who are you to give me orders!?"

"I'm the one you'll have to get past if you try to open that door," I snapped back. The man simply glowered at me, then turning to his crew-mate.

"Get what treasure you can. I'll meet you in the row boat," he told the man, who nodded.

I turned to Toby, subtly pointing or the side where a piece of silver stuck out of the wall. He nodded, catching my thought, sliding it out of the wall, and then pointing it at the man.

"You're going to remain at your post," Toby ordered, the man turned around to see the sharp end of the sword, then glared at the boy.

"I am not playing games with you, boy," the man growled. "You put that down."

"One more step and I'll use this, you blaggard," the boy hissed at the man.

"You don't know how to fight with a cutlass, boy," the man sneered at the boy, but he merely smirked.

"Don't need to, do I?" He slash say the man, effectively cutting the man's hand.

"No..." The man whispered as a black spot grew on his palm. Then he is glaring daggers at the boy, "You little stabber!"

"Do people actually say that?" I wondered aloud and Amy snickered.

"Congratulations," she said sarcastically, "You made it to the menu. Probably shouldn't go out there now."

"You scurvy ape!" The man shouted, pulling his gun off his waist, but I raise my hand, controlling the metal and bringing it to my hand.

"Wouldn't want the powder to blow and kill us all," I said calmly, and the man gaped at me.

The other pirate goes behind him, snatching the keys from his belt, "Mulligan, what are you doing?" The first man asked, and he only looked at him, before unlocking the door and leaving the room.

"And then there were five," I sighed, leaning back in the barrel I sat on.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
After a few minutes of silence, except for Mulligan's shooting outside the door, before going quite so we assumed he was dead. Then, the Doctor and the Captain began pounding on the door loudly, yelling at us to open up. After the initial shock, I helped the pirate take down the barrels and get him into the room.

Finally, the door opens, and the Doctor runs over, snatching the medallion from Toby and then breathing on it, fogging the reflection.

"What's going on?" I asked, but then the two were out once again, closing the door behind them. I sighed at their odd behavior, sitting back on the barrel.

About ten minutes later, the Doctor and the Captain, who Toby told me that his name was Henry Avery, returned. "I have a new plan," he announced to the six of us.

"And what is it this time?" I asked, curiously and a bit tired as well.

"Wait."

"Just wait?" Rory questioned with a upset frown.

"Not my most dynamic plan, I realize," he frowned.

"And... The TARDIS?" Amy asked and he made another face.

"It's been towed."

"' _Towed_ '?" I said, speaking up, "How would you tow that!?"

"Sorry. We might be stuck here for a while," the Doctor said.

"So you're saying that we should all just wait here below?" Rory asked and the Doctor gave somewhat of a nod.

"The sea is still calm, like a mirror," Captain Avery argued. "If you go out on deck she'll rise up and attack you."

"It's okay. The calm won't last forever," the Doctor assured. "When the wind picks up we'll all set sail."

"Until it does, you have to hide down here," Captain Avery finished. I gave a short sigh, leaning against the wall.

"Fantastic," I muttered with an annoyed sigh.  
•-•-•-•-•  
Rory and Amy were sleeping quietly while I sat on the box, lost in thought, until I felt a soft tap on my knee.

I looked up to see the Doctor giving me a concerned look, "Hey," I greeted, moving to sit criss-cross.

"Not tired?"

"Haven't really been tired in a long time. For the past couple months, I've just been really on-edge," I shrugged, and he gave me a strange look.

"I thought you said that you get seasick. I was worried but then you haven't really been... You know," he made a disgusted face thinking about it.

I gave him a confused look, "I... Never said I got seasick..."

"Yeah, remember when we were with Vincent. You said you tried to get on a boat to go to England, but got really seasick so you decided to fly instead."

"I don't get seasick..." Now, he was pouting at me, "I've never been on a boat before, actually."

"Oh..." He looked rather disappointed, making me feel a bit guilty.

"Sorry, I don't really remember that," I sighed running a hand through my hair. "It's probably just slipped my memory, maybe I'll remember it later?"

"Yeah, probably. Why don't you get some sleep, okay?" I sighed, but jumped off my barrel, lying down.

I took off my sweater, using it as a pillow, curling my wings over me like a blanket, and seconds later, I was out.  
•-•-•-•-•  
A shout of annoyance made me jump, looking around. The room seemed to be made of pure glass and plastic, two things I absolutely despised. The sound of a door opening made me crack my eyes open that had been swollen shut. It was _her_ again. The Whitecoat, _Doctor Fiona_.

" _You are making this so much harder than it has to be_ ,"  Doctor Fiona sighed, " _Petty, isn't it? Just tell me where they are and what you know, then nobody'll have to get hurt."_

I glared at the woman, spitting a mixture of blood, saliva, and mucus in her face. She scrunched up her nose, wiping the spot where it landed. " ** _Subject 63-2a_** _is already at work, being, well, you. Did you really think that that Time Lord friend of yours would have known the difference between two brats? You're all the same to him; you're all tools for his pleasure after all_ ," she chuckled. " _It would be like you had never left Jonathan Reed_ ," the name sent shivers down my spine and I stared straight at the woman, my eyes widening.

" _Oh, you remember that name, don't you? I'm sure you remember murdering him and everyone else in the house as well. Well, everyone except for his son, Marcus Reed, who was at school for the time. So, how about this,_ Subject 63-1a," she squatted down to my level, " _You give me the last locations of Maximum Ride and the Flock and I won't tell his son that I have you in my custody and trust me after everything that you've done to him, he's going to have a play date after meeting you_."

I glowered at her, "Fuck you," I seethed, and she gave a small sigh.

" _Are you sure? Because I think you should save that for when Mr. Marcus comes in,"_ her rose-red lips turned up into a triumphant smile. I snapped, pulling against the tight plastic chains on my arms, lunging at her, but only getting so far after she took a step back. She laughed at me, " _No need to be such an animal,_ Subject 63-1a."

"Let me go!" I screeched at her, "I'll _fucking kill you_ , you stupid **bitch**!" She laughed loudly at my response, " _Let me go_!" My eyes blazed an uncontrollable yellow, but I immediately felt a large shock go through my body. I cried out in pain, my pull against the plastic chains failing, and I fell against the ground.

" _I'll see you soon_ , Subject 63-1a," she smirked, leaving the room, the sound-proof door sealing shut behind her.

A loud scream of frustration left my mouth, as I pulled as hard as I could against the chains. " **LET ME GO**!" I screamed until my throat went sore. Before I knew it, hot tears streaked down my cheeks and I was left to a sobbing mess on the plastic ground. " _Doctor_... _Anyone_ , _please_... _Just let me go_..."  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
" _Bloody Christ_!" A voice exclaimed, making me jump up, my wings about to shoot out, but with the limited area of the room, they only reached to nearly sides of the room, before curving to fit. I looked around to see all six pairs of eyes on me.

"What did I do?" I asked aloud, my wings falling to my sides.

The Doctor scooted over, giving me a strained smile, "Your wings," he said in a loud whisper.

I blinked, "Oh," then I ran a hand through my hair, fixing whatever bed-heady look it had earlier. "Yeah, that was going to happen anyway."

"You... You have wings," the pirate said, and I nodded.

"Yep."

"Can you fly?" Captain Avery asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Why is it that whenever someone sees my wings, they ask if I can fly!?" I ranted, throwing my hands up in the air. "Of course I can fly, goddammit. Why else would I have wings!? That would be useless, sheesh!"

Toby walked over, mesmerized almost, "C... Can I touch them?" He had such an innocent, childish look in his doe-like eyes that I had to turn away, feeling my wings fluff up in embarrassment.

"Fine." I felt his small warn fingers dance along my feathers, rubbing them in a soothing notion. My face completely melted at his touch, and I had to bite my lip to keep a loud purr from escaping my lips.

"They're so soft..." He whispered and I gave him a short nod, my body beginning to relax even further. Then, his rubbing turned to scratching, and my eyes widened, my wings jerking away, and folding into my back.

"Yep. Okay. That–That's it. You have, uh, _succeeded_ in w–wing rubbing. A pl–plus, thank you," I snatched my hoodie off the ground, slipping it over my head. I heard rumbling over head, "Thunder?"

"Right!" The Doctor clapped his hands, "There's a storm coming, everyone let's go!" Captain Avery unlocked the door and the seven of us leave the powder room, just as there is another clap of thunder and the ran begins to lash down heavily.

"To the rigging, you dogs!" Captain Avery yelled, suddenly living up to his title, 'Captain'. "Let go the sails. Avast ye! Put the bunt into the slack of the clews!"

I rose an eyebrow, helping to bring down the sheets with Amy and Rory, "I swear he's making half this stuff up," Amy muttered.

"Well, we're going to need some kind of phrase book," The couple chuckled at this as the Captain shouted another order.

"Toby! Find my coat," He ordered. "My compass is inside it, boy. Heave ho, you bilge rats."

"' _Bilge rats_ '!?" I grumbled loudly to myself, taking off my sweatshirt that had been drenched in the rain. "I'll make a bilge rat out of you if you call me that again, stupid old man..."

I heard a sharp cry of pain and I turned around to see Toby, holding his hand. I see a crimson drop of blood drip slowly from his hand to the wooden flooring and my eyes widen. A shiny crown drops to the ground, and then the Siren appeared from it.

"No!" Avery yelled, as Toby reached out to the singing feminine spirit. "No, Toby!" And just like that, Toby has turned into a cloud of smoke.

I close my eyes tightly, only being able to listen to the man's useless cries, as the Doctor goes off on him. "You couldn't give up the gold, could you," he shouted at the man. "That's why you turned pirate. Your commission, your wife, your son. Just how much is that treasure worth to you, man?!"

The sound of wood creaking reaches my ears and I turned around to see a spar wiggling loose near Rory. "Rory!" I screamed, and the man turned around to me, with a confused look on his face. Before I could warn him any further, the spar hits him in the back, sending him overboard.

"No!" I screamed, jumping in after him. A falling sensation fills my body, but I ignore it, my wings flapping rapidly to help me, get to him faster, but just as my fingers graze the end of his shirt, we both collide with the water.

At first, it feels like I fell unto a brick wall, but then the freezing cold fills my body, making me stiffen. The water is pitch black, I couldn't even see my fingers in front of my face. I swim down, trying to grab unto Rory, but I couldn't even see him!

Panic fills my body, _I can't find him! I can't find Rory!_

 _Stop_ , I reprimanded myself, _swim up! The spirit lady will get him, and then the Doctor will find a way to save him._

I swim back up, my wings drenched and useless since in the soaked water, but then a soft, blue-green hue glows in the dark waters _is... That_?

Despite the freezing waters, a warm filling fills my chest, making me feel giddy and weird. I knew it was the spirit-siren-thing but I couldn't help it.

A petite, green glowing hand reaches towards me, and without thinking, I grab it, and then I felt nothing.   
**0/0/0/0**  
I feel someone shaking my shoulders, but my eyes stayed closed, heavy, like in unable to open then. "Come on... This... Up, Hazel."

A small groan leaves my mouth, and I turn away from whoever that was. I hear a sigh, as their words began to get clearer, "I... Do this, but you need to get up, so..." A hand fall into my wing, which still feels heavy and wet.

Then, they began to scratch my feathers. A soft purr left my mouth before I knew what was going on. But then, I shoot up, holding my wings to my chest. The Doctor stands over me, smirking, "That got you up."

"Don't do that!" I huffed, "That's not funny."

"I thought it was."

I huffed again, "Where am I?"

"Hospital," I jumped, my eyes widening to saucers, "Not like that. It was... The siren. She's a doctor."

"Where's Rory?" I asked, now very worried.

"He drowned, but then Amy resuscitated him."

"And... What about me?"

"Luckily, you hadn't been drowning."

"That's good," I nodded.

"Why'd you jump in after him?" The Doctor asked, rather upset now. "Can you even swim!?"

"Well... Maybe..."

" _Maybe_!?"

"My wings aren't waterproof like most avians; even though hummingbirds can fly through rain, the Whitecoats did... Something to me that messed that up, so yeah. I can't really swim."

The Doctor held the bridge of his nose, "You're going to be the death of me."

"I try," I roll my eyes, getting off the bed, shaking my wings, making water spray everywhere. "I smell gross," I grumbled with a sigh.

"Amy said the same thing," The Doctor laughed, placing a hand on my head. My eyes widened, the room flashing to a dark one with a woman standing in front of me, yanking on my hair, screaming in my face.

I jumped away, my eyes widened and my heart feeling like it was going to beat out of my chest, "Hazel?" The Doctor called, making me snap my gaze away from the floor to him. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded, swallowing a knot in my throat. "Y–Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go," I quickly walked away from the Doctor, my arms tightly crossed over my chest, as I tried to ignore the stares that the Doctor burned into the back of my head.


	14. chapter fourteen:

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter~

Chapter 14:   
Hazel's POV

"Hazel!" I heard the Doctor bang on my door, "Why are you still in your room! Get up!" A groan was my response and I turned over in my bed. "Hazel? Are you okay?"

" _Go away_ ," I croaked, and then fell into a heavy coughing fit.

I heard the door slowly creak open, and then the Doctor poked his head through. His dull green eyes filled with familiar child-like curiosity, "Hazel? What's wrong?"

"Sick," I mumbled. " _Really, sick_. Go. I don't wanna get you sick too."

"I can't get sick; perks of being a Time Lord," the Doctor replied. "This is probably because you decided to jump in after Rory the other day."

"Nobody else was," I was interrupted by a sneeze, "... Going to." The Doctor gaped at me, his eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"What?" I sniffed, sounded very congested. _I hate being sick, it's gross. I thought I had a stronger immune system than this_!

"You're invisible!"

I looked down at me hand, "Oh." Trying really hard, I forced my body to go back to normal, but suddenly felt very lightheaded. I gasped, holding my head, "Whoa..."

"You okay there?" The Doctor asked, looking the opposite direction of me. I would have laughed at him for this had the room not been turning upside-down.

"Y–Yeah... Just a little lightheaded." After the room stopped swinging, I tossed the blankets off of my legs, and tried to shakily get out of the bed.

"What are you doing!?" The Doctor asked, "Stop, I can't see you! Where are you going?"

"I refuse to stay in bed all day," I muttered, trying to take a step. Suddenly, the room did a huge 180 and I stumbled back, my wings flapping and accidentally hitting the Doctor in the chest, sending him on his bottom. Meanwhile, I grabbed the side of my bed, hoping to sturdy myself.

"You wings are _insanely_ strong," the Doctor groaned, rubbing his slightly bruised chest. "You need to get back in bed."

" _No_ ," I complained, but then gave a heavy cough, rubbing my sore chest.

"You're sick."

"I don't wanna lie down."

"Now, Hazel." I sighed, carefully walking back to the bed, and lying back down in it.

The Doctor grinned triumphantly, "Good! Now, get some rest; I'll bring you some food."

"Yeah, whatever," I grumbled, turning away from him. He rolled his eyes, leaving the room, closing the door behind him.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
"Okay, Hazel, I have chicken-noodle soup and some medicine Rory said to take that'll help your throat," the Doctor announced, as he walked into the room. I laid sleepily on the side of the bed, the covers kicked to the bottom of the bed, hanging off. "Oh, your visible again, great!"

"'M tired," I whispered, " _Aspirin_."

"What?"

"I need aspirin," I sniffed, "I have a headache."

"I'll get you some later, right now, you need to eat something." I turned away from him, "Hazel?"

"Not hungry."

"You haven't ate anything since yesterday morning, you need something in your stomach."

" _No_ ," I whined much like a child.

"Hazel, come on, you need to eat something." I didn't answer. "Just try a little, okay?" I shook my head, covering myself with my large wings.

I heard the Doctor sigh impatiently, then, he walked over, and tapped on my wing. "Hazel, look at me." I shook my head, which made it hurt even more and cause a wave of vertigo to spread through my body. " _Please_ , Hazel." .

After a few seconds of hesitation, I finally turned to him, my face just peeking out behind my wing. Before my scrambled brain could process, he pushed my wing aside and shoved a ceramic spoon in my mouth. I gagged, trying to move, but he pinned me down where I was, keeping me in place.

"I would much rather use less violent means, but you _have_ to eat something!" The Doctor grunted, "Now, _chew and swallow_!" Reluctantly, I chewed, glaring at him the entire time.

After I finished, I pushed his hand away. He went to bring the bowl of soup to me, "I hate you."

"No you don't," he grinned, setting the bowl on a tray in my lap along with a medicine bottle and another ceramic spoon. "After you finish eating, taking a spoonful of that, it'll help clear your throat. I'll go get that aspirin and I expect the bowl to be _at least_ half finished when I get back!"  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
Doctor's POV  
About ten minutes later, he returned with the medium-sized bottle of aspirin. He ratted lightly on the door, knowing not to knock to loudly to cause a even worse headache.

"Hazel? I'm back with the aspirin," he announced, earning no reply. He sighed, opening the door up to see the girl seemingly asleep on the bed. Light snores could be heard from the slumbering girl, along with soft whispering. "Hazel," he called, his voice softer. He walked over, and reach out to gently tap the girl's shoulder.

"Haze—" his fingers barely made contact with her arm before she shot up, the back of her wing smacked him in the face, giving him a mouth full of soft, downy feathers that tasted like sea-water.

He spat, moving away from the girl, he was about to complain about his poor experience with the dirty feathers when he heard a soft sob from the girl. He froze, "Hazel?" Was she crying? Why? Was it a nightmare?

"I'm not her," he heard her whisper softly. "I'm not Hazel..." She choked on her words, "I... I think Hazel's _dead_..."

The Doctor gave the girl a worried look, "Hazel, calm down, you're not thinking straight. You're sick, you need to lie down."

" _She's dead_ ," Hazel muttered in horror. "Oh god, he's going to kill her." The girl gripped her messy Afro-like hair. "We need to find her, maybe–maybe we can bring her back. We need to—"

"Hazel!" The Doctor shouted, and the girl turned to him, her eyes a dark yellow and brimming with unshed tears.

" _I'm not Hazel_!" She screamed, covering her face with her hands, "Go help her! She needs help! She's going to _die_!" He refused to listen to her helpless rambling anymore, and quickly tapped her forehead, sending her back in the bed. Tear tracks still stained her cheeks, her mouth turned to a frown.

He sighed, setting the bottle down. This was going to be a long day.   
**•-•-•-•-•-•**  
3rd POV  
For the next several hours, Hazel did not leave her room. Instead, the Doctor and sometimes even Rory came in and out of her room, giving her food—which she could barely hold down sometimes—and medicines. Hazel tried to come out of her bed many times, only to be stopped by the Doctor or Rory. Other times, she would refuse to get out of bed, or eat anything. Luckily, with her weakened state, the Doctor was able to force-feed her food, which she all but liked.

Most of the time, he was able to get her down easily, but a few times, she would accidentally strike him in the ribs with her wings. Now, his chest and back was very sore from being hit so much by her burly strong wings, but either way, she was getting fed, so the Doctor tried not to think about it.

Luckily, progress was being made, the medicines working its way through her system, combating the illness. Before any of them knew it, the majority of the day had passed, leaving all of them exhausted and tired.

Thankfully, Amy had made a delicious pasta for the three to eat for dinner, which the Doctor gratefully thanked the woman for. Later, Amy and Rory retreated to their own rooms, while he tinkered on the TARDIS on the bottom level.

The TARDIS had been rather silent, except for the occasional humming of the living machine, until he head soft feet pattering against the metal floor boards. "Amy? Amelia, is that you? I thought you were sleeping!" He called up there, but he did not hear a Scottish accent answer.

The footsteps slowly dragged themselves down the steps. The Doctor looked over his shoulder to see Hazel, with her blanket in her other hand. "Hazel? Why are you out of bed? Go back to sleep!" Hazel didn't answer, she only moved up close to the Doctor, placing her blanket on the ground, then rolling up in it like a little sausage in a bun, and closing her eyes. "Hazel? Hazel!?"

"You know, back at the School, everyone had been terrified of sleeping by themselves," Hazel spoke up, her tone a bit weary. By the dark bags hanging beneath her eyes, she probably hadn't gotten much good sleep, either being restless or plagued by fever-induced nightmares. "We'd all sleep together, find someway to do so. Sit close to each other in our cages, just to make sure everyone was safe. Sometimes, if we were well enough, we'd fight back against the Erasers who tried to take us away from each other. It never went well, of course. It usually ended in someone getting... Hurt, but we were still really close." Hazel paused, "I... I try not to think of it now, but... They were probably the closest to family I've ever had in my life..." She snugged up into her blanket, which laid near his dangling legs.

The Doctor looked at the girl, who went silent after that, "Hazel... I—"

"Go to sleep, Damien..." She whispered, her eyes closed, "I... I'll watch out f–for Erasers..." Not a second later, the girl had fell asleep, snoozing quietly.

The Doctor sighed, looking down at the girl. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, looking far younger than she was. He almost forgot she was fourteen when she acted so much older and maturer. It was a shame to see someone grow up so fast, but he assumed that because of the situation she grew up in, she needed to know how to take care of herself.

He ran a hand down his face, wondering what truly happened in her past. She sometimes gave clues every now and then, but nothing in detail. Several things had him worried about her, like why she believed that ' _Hazel_ ' was dead, even though _she_ was Hazel! He also wondered who Damien was and how she would react if he asked her about it.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
It had been a few days until Hazel felt better, or at least good enough to stand up and walk around. Her powers had still been a little... Strange. Sometimes, she would sneeze and go invisible again without knowing it, which meant scaring the pants off the Doctor several times, sometimes accidentally.

Hazel had also become a walking, talking magnet at some points, so she usually couldn't walk into the kitchen without expecting several metal objects to come flying her direction. Had her reflexes not been several times more advanced as the average person's, she would have had her head smashed in by a iron frying pan.

But the worse that had been for her was not being able to talk. She had explained why, by writing it out—which had been difficult because her writing looked _worse_ than chicken scratch. It didn't seem like writing, but more of translating hieroglyphics.

Apparently, her voice had been... Altered since getting sick, so if she were to speak she could either kill them or burst their eardrums. The explanation was rather... Graphic, but, all four of them agreed that not talking would be a much better solution than dying from blood-loss. So, she stayed in the library, reading whatever books she could get her hands on.

In the span of a few days, the TARDIS library, which had been usually neat and orderly, had turned into what looked like a literary war-zone. Books scattered all over the floor, some in high skyscraper-like structures. Others balancing on one another, almost like it would demolish the entire mess if it were moved even an inch.

Surprisingly, no one had discovered her hiding place in the library, and had been looking all over for her. It wasn't until a few hours later, that they realized to check the library.

"... Hazel? Hazel, are you in here? You still haven't taken y—what did you do to my library?" The Doctor stared at what used to be his library, his face paling. A dark hand shot out from the side of the room, near the fireplace, which he almost didn't recognize.

Carefully, the Doctor maneuvered around books, trying not to step on any of them. He glanced at a few of the titles, they ranged from ' _Dragons, Warlocks, and Magic_ ' to ' _The History of the Skrillitane race_ '. Finally the Doctor made it to Hazel, who was hanging upside-down on the end of a chair, reading a book. "What are you reading?"

Hazel flashed him the spine of said book, ' _Red Queen_ ' by _Victoria Aveyard._ That was a book that came out around 2015 and got really popular. He had read it—more like skimmed through it—himself. It was interesting but rather predictable at some points. "I read that. Do you like it?" She gave the 'so-so' sign at him, reading the last couple pages before tossing the book in the air. The Doctor gave a small shout, but then a small steel hand came from the side, snatching it out of the air and setting it down in a pile about twenty feet from her.

"Smart," Hazel smirked as the hand came back, handing her another book. The Doctor snatched it out of the air before it could leave. He scanned it with his sonic, "What'd you make this out of?" She pointed to a small pile beside her, he leaned over to look. The ink tubes of hundreds of pens laid helplessly on the ground, stripped of all its parts.

"What!? Are those _my_ pens?!" She didn't answer just continuing to read her book the different types of planets. "Hazel! I know you can hear me! You're mute, not deaf!" Hazel  giggled silently, and the Doctor sighed, sitting down and leaning against the chair. They were silent for a few seconds, but then Hazel sat up, going over to look at him. Her eyebrows ruffled together and she gave him a questioning look.

"What?" She frowned digging through her poker before fishing a small iPhone out. He had gave it to her because of her... Condition. It was a few years in the future, but it wouldn't hurt, and he'd just take it back when she recovered.

" _What's wrong_?" The electronic female voice said from the cell phone.

He gave her a look, before giving a short sigh. "Who's Damien?" Suddenly, he was on the ground, Hazel was on top of him, her pocket knife to his neck. Her eyes were dark and furious. Her wings bristled and stiff.

The Doctor's eyes turned to saucers, "Hazel!"

She jumped off him, grabbing her phone, typing furiously. " _How do you know that name_!?" Even the robotic voice sounded mad.

"You said it the other night. Who's Damien, Hazel?"

" _No one."_

"You just put a knife to my throat and now you're going to say this ' _Damien_ ' is no one!? I want answers."

She glared at the ground, " _Was_."

"What?"

" _He was no one. He's dead, gone, and forgotten. I plan to keep it that way, Doctor. Don't bring up his name again_."

"Hazel, just tell me who Da—"

"Do you wish to keep your head attached to your neck?" Hazel spoke in a low voice, her yellow eyes glowed dangerously. It was at this moment that the Doctor realized how much of a threat she could be. Chills ran down the Time Lord's spine. Was this how Hazel really was like? Cold? Ruthless?

"Hazel, I—"

"Don't speak his name," she ordered, leaving the Doctor lonesome in the library.

  



	15. chapter fifteen:

Chapter 15:  
Hazel's POV

"And then we discovered it wasn't the Robot King after all, it was the real one," The Doctor said, finally finishing his story. I sat on the floor, sucking a chocolate popsicle I had found in the freezer, listening silently, and giving my two-bits every now and again. "Fortunately, I was able to re-attach the head."

Rory gave a scoff of disbelief, folding his arms over his chest, "Do you believe any of this stuff?"

"I was there," Amy dead panned, and I snickered. "So was Hazel."

I nodded, about to reply when suddenly the lights began to blink on and off. "What's going on?" I asked, sending a look at the Doctor.

"Oh, it's the warning lights," he answered then muttered to himself, "I'm getting rid of those. They never stop." The Doctor goes to the console to fix whatever had been messing up. Rory and Amy whisper about something I didn't care to listen to, and I lean back against the railing in a relaxed manner.

A ratting at the door makes me jump to my feet, "What was that?" Any asked, beating me to the question.

"The door," the Doctor answered, looking puzzled himself. "It _knocked_."

"That's what doors do when there's someone outside it," I drawled. "Aren't we in deep space?" I remember him mentioning that he was parking the TARDIS in deep space, so the real question was _who—or_ what _—was knocking?_

"We are very, very deep," the Doctor answered, pausing a second to hear another knock. "And somebody's knocking..." With much reluctance, the Doctor yanked the door open, revealing a small box that hovers in front of the door. A nostalgic smile dances the Doctor's lips, "Oh, come here. Come here, you scrumptious little beauty." The box flies in, ramming itself in his chest as the Doctor closed the door.

"A box?" Rory questioned as we all peered curiously at the strange black box.

"Doctor, what is it?" Any asked.

"I've got mail," the Doctor smiled, rubbing his fingers over the box. "Time Lord emergency messaging system. In an emergency, we'd wrap up thoughts in psychic containers and send them through time and space. Anyway, there's a living Time Lord still out there, and it's one of the good ones."

"You said there weren't any other Time Lords left," Rory said, which also made sense. _How could he get a message from a supposedly extinct race_? For some reason, I suddenly don't trust the box, and slightly shuffle away from it. _Something just feels... Wrong about it._

"There are no Time Lords left anywhere in the universe," the Doctor replied, and I ruffle my eyebrows, his tone come off as somewhat bitter, but I don't question it. "But the universe isn't where we're going. See that snake?" His fingers trace a inscribed snake on the side. A snake swallowing its own tail.

"The Ourobouros," I mutter, remember reading it from a book. The Doctor nodded, not looking my way.

"The mark of the Corsair," he continued, "Fantastic bloke. He had that snake as a tattoo in every regeneration. Didn't feel like himself unless he had the tattoo. Or herself, a couple of times. Ooo, she was a bad girl." A loud bang sounds from the TARDIS, and I immediately look at the console.

"Oh, what is happening?" Rory asked as the Doctor went to the console.

"We're leaving the universe," the Doctor answered casually.

"How can you leave the universe?" Amy asked, turning to him.

"With _enormous difficulty_ ," The Doctor grunted. "Right now I'm burning up Tardis rooms to give us some welly. Goodbye, swimming pool. Goodbye, scullery. Sayonara, squash court seven." Several crashes and thumps rivet through the console room, before it all goes completely silent.

After a moment of silence, I speak up, "... Are we out?"

"Yep. Outside the universe, where we've never, ever been," the Doctor is grinning. My lips turn to a frown, _I have a really bad feeling about this..._

And then my bad-gut-feeling grows when all the lights instantly flicker out. The humming sound from the TARDIS somehow turns into a very uncomfortable silence. I cross my arms over my chest, the hairs on the back of my neck standing straight.

"Is that meant to be happening?" Rory asked, although we all seem to know the answer already. _No, it is definitely, most certainly not supposed to happen_.

The Doctor begins to freak out a little, dancing around the console, trying something—anything—but nothing is working. "The power, it's draining," he finally says as if he couldn't believe his own words. "Everything's draining. But it can't. That's—that's impossible."

" _Draining_?" I spoke up, "Draining _where_?"

"Wait, what do you mean?" Rory frowned. "What is it?"

"It's as if the Matrix, the soul of the TARDIS, has just vanished. Where would it go?" A collective silence falls on us as we can only imagine what he had said.

"Well, staying in here won't do us any good," Amy smirked. "Let's go."

"I'm gonna grab my jacket," I announced, getting up. "Go on without me," the others nodded, leaving the TARDIS as I turn down the dark corridor to my room.   
**•-•-•-•-•-•**  
I find the Doctor, Rory, and Amy examining what looked like a strange junkyard with what I assumed was cluttered with demolished ship. I jogged over just as a woman ran over. Her wild brown hair whipped around her face as she slowed to a halt. She wore a cyan blue dress that gave a kind of ' _Victorian_ ' feel to it, an her hair was pulled up but somehow gotten loose. Her brown eyes glittered with several emotions; curiosity, excitement, and... Confusion?

The woman took a big step towards the Doctor who stared at her oddly. "Look at you. _Goodbye_. No, not goodbye, what's the other one?" She pulled the Doctor towards her and kissed on his lips deeply. My eyes widened and I had to hold in a howling laugh.

There are two other people behind her and my nose crinkled. Several odd scents come off of them and then mingling together. "Watch out. Careful. Keep back from her," the man says.

He has a slight hunch and wears the same type of old-styled clothing as the woman who turned on— _kissed_ the Doctor did. From where I am standing—which is rather far—I am able to smell his stale breath that nearly made me gag. By looking at his face, you could tell he isn't wash much. In fact, both of them looked like that; dirty, old worn clothing, and smudges caking their faces. Yet, they wore smiles on their faces, they were happy to see us, like they hadn't seen much people.

Once again, alerts go off in my head. _Do not trust. Do not trust. Run; get away. Now._ "Welcome, strangers," the man greeted. "Lovely. Sorry about the mad person."

"Why am I a thief?" The Doctor asked the strange woman, "What have I stolen?"

" _Me_ ," she says. "You're going to steal me. No, you have stolen me. You are stealing me. Oh tenses are difficult, aren't they?"

"Oh. Oh, we are sorry, my dove," the woman apologized to the Doctor in a dramatic notion. "She's off her head. They call me Auntie." I narrowed my eyes at the woman, Auntie. _Off. Something is very, very off._

"And I'm Uncle," the man, ' _Uncle_ ', said. "I'm everybody's Uncle. Just keep back from this one. She bites!"

"Do I?" The woman inquired, "Excellent." She promptly bit the Doctor's ear, and he jumped back.

"Ow! Ow!"

"Biting's excellent," The woman grinned. "It's like kissing, only there's a winner." I scoffed, shaking my head.

"Kinky," I muttered, and the Doctor shot me a look.

Uncle stepped forwards, trying to pull the woman away. "So sorry," he apologized. "She's doolally."

"No, I'm not doolally," she mouth twisted into a frown as she thought. "I'm... I'm... It's on the tip of my tongue. I've just had a new idea about kissing. Come here, you." She took another step towards the Doctor, but Uncle pulled her back.

"No, Idris, no," Auntie scolded. _Idris? That was her name?_

"Oh, but now you're angry," Idris said to the Doctor, studying his face. "No, you're not. You will be angry. The little boxes will make you angry."

"Sorry? The little what? Boxes?" Now, the Doctor had been confused. _This woman was crazy._

"Oh, ho, no. Your chin is _hilarious_ ," she laughed. "It means the smell of dust after rain."

"What does?" Rory asked.

"Petrichor."

"But I didn't ask."

"Not yet. But you will."

"No, no, Idris. I think you should have a rest," Auntie suggested.

" _Rest_?" Idris repeated. "Yes, yes. Good idea. I'll just see if there's an off switch." Suddenly, she collapsed, but I quickly moved to catch the woman before she hit her head on the ground. Idris was light, unusually light. As if she didn't weigh a thing; literally. I was so surprised, I almost dropped the woman.

"Is that it? She's dead now. So sad," Uncle sighed, but he didn't sound remorseful at all.

I checked the woman's neck, a pulse. "She's alive," I announced.

"Nephew, take Idris somewhere she can not bite people," Uncle ordered. Out of the shadows came an alien, its mouth—if you could call it a mouth—was replaced with tentacles. It's skin was wrinkled, and had a round tube that was connected to a ball that it held.

I rose an eyebrow as the alien came over, "Oh, hello!" The Doctor smiled, waving at the skeleton.

"Doctor, what is that?" Amy asked as I stood up, holding the taller woman in my arms.

"Oh, no, it's all right. It's an _Ood_. Oods are good. Love an Ood," he smiled broadly at the 'Ood'. "Hello, Ood. Can't you talk?" The Ood gestured to its ball, "Oh, I see. It's damaged. May I? It might just be on the wrong frequency."

"Nephew was broken when he came here," Auntie explained. "Why, he was half dead! House repaired him. House repaired all of us."

"House?" I echoed as the Doctor fiddled with the ball.

Hundreds of voices somehow came out of ball, all of them mixing together. Yet, there seemed to be one who stuck out. A male voice; authoritative, commanding, yet fear somehow lingered in it. " _If you are receiving this message, please help me. Send a signal to the High Council of the Time Lords on Gallifrey. Tell them that I am still alive. I don't know where I am. I'm on some rock-like planet_." Then, all the other voices got louder, like a ringing in my hyper-sensitive ears. I gasped, my head pounding. _Too many voices. Too many voices. Shut it off shut it off—_

All of a sudden, a voice echoed in my head. A oddly familiar voice, speaking in a strange time that I hardly wanted to hear.

 _Schule. Weiße Mäntel. Laura. Flü_ —

"Hazel?" I jumped, my eyes snapping up at him.

" _What_?" The Doctor ruffled his eyebrows.

" _What are you doing_?" His voice suddenly sounded weird. Sharper and thicker almost.

" _I... I don't know_ ," I murmured. " _What's going on_?"

"What are you two saying?" Amy demanded, narrowing her eyes.

" _What are you talking about_?" I asked, standing. It took me a second to notice that Idris was taken from me.

"Are you speaking _German_!?" Then I realized why the Doctor's voice sounded thicker.

"Oh..." I rubbed my head that throbbed from a growing headache. "I... I was..." Then, I turned to the Doctor, glaringly, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to test it," he shrugged and I slugged him in the shoulder. "Ow! No hitting!"

I huffed at the man, "Where are the others?"

"Down there," Amy pointed the direction Idris came. "Rory's with them, we'd better catch up." I nodded, walking in the direction she pointed to.

We find Uncle, Auntie, and Rory standing around awkwardly until we arrived. "Come. Come, come. You can see the House and he can look at you, and he..." I began ignore him as we continued to walk, finally stopping  in front of a large machine. While we stared at the contraption, the Doctor's attention was focused to the ground.

"I see. This asteroid is sentient," the Doctor said, mostly to hisself. I rose an eyebrow, not expecting this.

"We walk on his back, breathe his air, eat his food," Auntie fawned.

"Smell its armpits," Amy muttered under her breath and I snickered. Suddenly, Auntie and Uncle's heads go limp, their eyes closing but snapping back open a second later.

" **And do my will** ," a new voice came. It's male and deep. My ' _danger-danger_ ' signal in my head is blaring at me to leave, but I only shuffle away from the two. " **You are most welcome, travellers**."

"Doctor, that voice," Amy whispered to the Time Lord. "That's the asteroid talking?"

"Yes. So you're like a sea urchin," the Doctor grinned. "Hard outer surface, that's the planet we're walking on. Big, squashy, oogly thing inside, that's you."

" **That is correct, Time Lord** ," House— _I assume this is House_ —answered.

"Ah. So you've met Time Lords before?" The Doctor seems delighted to speak with a living, speaking asteroid.

" **Yes, yes, but if they're like the Corsair, they're good one and I can save them.**."

"So there are Time Lords here, then?"

" **Not any more, but there have been many TARDISes on my back in days gone by**."

"Well, there won't be any more after us," the Doctor sighed. "Last Time Lord. Last TARDIS."

" **A pity. Your people were so kind**." I narrow my eyes, " **Be here in safety, Doctor. Rest, feed, if you will**." Then, it seems that Auntie and Uncle have returned back to normal because they are now smiling broadly at us.

"We're not actually going to stay here, are we?" Rory asked curiously.

"I agree," I spoke up. "We should probably get going—lets get the TARDIS fixed and go."

"Well, it seems like a friendly planet," the Doctor frowned. I realized that he wasn't going to give up the chance to look around here, or... Was something else bothering him? "Literally. Mind if we poke around a bit?"

"You can look all you want. Go. Look," she turned to me, her expression somewhat creepy. "House _loves_ you."

"Gee... Thanks..." I murmured.

"Come on then, gang," the Doctor grinned with glee. "We're just going to, er, see the sights." He walks off, with the rest of us following behind him.  
 **•-•-•-•-•-•**  
Wherever we were, we could hear the cries of a ' _Theif_ ' being echoed down the hall. "Shush, shush, shush," the Doctor muttered to himself.

"So, as soon as the TARDIS is refuelled, we go, yeah?" Rory asked, but the Doctor shook his head.

"No. There are Time Lords here," the Doctor said, determination etched into his face. I feel bitter when I realize that my presumption was right; something _was_ bothering him. "I heard them and they need me."

"What if they're not here?" I asked, "What if the message was old."

"It wasn't; the inscribed snake was recent."

"You told me about your people, and you told me what you did." _What you did_?

"Yes, yes, but if they're like the Corsair, they're good one and I can save them," Amy gave him a look, then pulled him to side, arguing over something to her. Minutes later, the Doctor walked away. Amy grabbed my sleeve and yanked me away with her.

"Wha—what's going on?" I asked, pulling my arm away and walking with her.

"Fetching the Doctor's sonic." I nodded, hearing Rory come behind us, but I tune out their conversation, continuing to walk silently.  
 **•-•-•-•-•-•**  
We finally arrived where the TARDIS was parked, easily opening the unlocked blue doors.

Once again, the interior was quiet. The once living TARDIS was gone and replaced by the silent atmosphere. _I didn't like it; it didn't seem right to me. Nothing here felt '_ right _' actually. A talking rock? Mis-matched people? And then a Ood, which seemed rather odd, and a crazy woman! If this didn't scream wrong, then I don't know what would! But, the others don't share my easy judgment; they're too trusting,_ naïve _even. And splitting up like this!? Why didn't I tell him 'no' when I had the chance!_

I groaned, kicking the steel TARDIS floor plating. Amy, who had been on the phone, shut it off, "It should be around here somewhere," she said, starting to look around. Suddenly, the door closed and the distinct sound of a lock clicked in the air.

"Did you do that?" Amy asked Rory, who had been closest to the door.

"I didn't do anything," he replied, beginning to walk. "Right. Jacket." We began to walk around, aimlessly searching for the supposed jacket.

After nearly ten minutes of finding nothing, I began to go downstairs as Amy phoned the Doctor again. As I descend, the light—the little light—from upstairs gets thinner and thinner until I am at the last step and consumed in darkness.

My eyes dart around, I need a flashlight; even with my heightened senses, I can't see a thing.

I turned around, trying to go back up when suddenly, I am met with a large wall. "Wha—"

" **I would keep my voice down, if I were you, human** ," a familiar voice chimes through the air. _House. It was House. How!? What's going on_!? " **Screaming would be unnecessary; they wouldn't be able to hear you anyway**."

I stepped away from the wall, my breathing begins to get more labored. _Hyperventilating—no. Don't do that. Don't panic; you can get out of this_. " **Oh, scared are we? I would think no less from a child**."

Somehow, I chuckle drily at this, feeling the wall. _Steel. Just like everything else on this TARDIS_. I smirked, taking a deep breath, "Scared? Hardly." I hit the metal wall as if it were made of play-dough, making a hole spouting in it, big enough for me to climb through. I can hear Rory talking now, he sounds confident, but I don't know. _He's_  
 _probably trying to buy us time. Good._

"... I had a PE teacher just like you. You need to be entertained, and killing us quickly wouldn't be entertainment," he said, as I joined them. Amy gives me the ' _where have you been_?' look, but I shake my head. We as bigger problems to worry about.

" **So entertain me.** ** _Run_** ," this is our cue as we race down the hall. Being the fastest out of all of us, I am leading, twisting and turning through the narrow corridors. Although running will get us nowhere, I also don't want to meet what would happen if I didn't.

" **So are we having fun yet**?" House asked. " **I'm rather enjoying the sensation of having you running around inside me**." I turn down another hall, unknowingly stepping into a large hole. I gasped as I fell through the air. I could feel my wings trying to keep me in the air, but with my sweatshirt, I don't go anywhere, and collided painfully with the ground. My ankle landed in a semi-awkward position, and I sucked my teeth, squeezing my eyes shut as well, ignoring the pain that rocketed through it.

"Hazel!" I heard Amy scream above me before a loud booming sound echoed through the hall. _Closed. I'm stuck._ I looked at my leg, _sprained. I can still walk, maybe_.

" **Now, don't take this to heart, but you seemed to be... Tipping the odds. Besides, this was more entertaining** ," I glared at the ceiling, pushing off the ground, putting my weight on my good leg as I began to limp away as fast as I could.

I heard House sigh above me, " **So slow... How about we speed this up, shall we**?" I hear machines moving behind me, I turn around to see the floor disappearing, leaving a black abyss behind. Now, I begin to run, shrugging my sweatshirt off and unfurling my wings.

There's a door at the end of the hall. _I can make it there_! I run faster, ignoring the shouts of protest from my leg. The disappearing floor is catching up with me, but I'm so close to the end of the hall. My heart pounds in my ears as I leap for the doorway, just escaping the empty floor.

Landing in a roll, I curl up, massaging my throbbing ankle. " **Exciting! And the wings certainly was unexpected. Tell me, where did you acquire such a thing? Using that feature would certainly make my new home more unique**."

Glaring at the ceiling, I attempt to get back up, and lean against the wall. My breathing is thin, as I sluggishly walk, ignoring the pain it brought with every step. House huffed at my silence, " **Fine. I'll extract the information myself**."

I blinked, processing this, "Wait, wha—" a sharp ringing white noise screeched through the air. I screamed, covering my ears, dropping to the ground. "Stop!" I gasped, squeezing my eyes shut. "Stop it!"

House merely hummed at my pleads. Then, he stopped, and the white-noise faded, still leaving a ringing noise in my eardrums. " **Interesting**..."

"... What?" I spat, shaking slightly.

" **How would this work?** ** _Schule. Weiße Mäntel. Laura. Flügel. Experimentieren. Fo_** —"

"Shut up!" I said immediately. "Don't do it! Don't! Please! Don't do it!!" Tears stream off my cheeks. I don't know why; all I know is those words were bad. Really bad.

House ignored me, and continued. " ** _Schule. Weiße Mäntel. Laura. Flügel. Experimentieren. Folter. Töten. Radiergummis. Flyboys. Herde. Maximum Ride_**." Then, everything turns black.  
•-•-•-•-•-•  
I woke back up in my room. I gasped, looking around. Quiet. The sound of humming vibrating through the air. I heard footsteps, before the door slid open. The Doctor stood in the doorway, a stony expression on his face.

"Doctor! What's going on?! Did you get the TARDIS working again?" His face twisted into anger, her eyes glowering. I shrink back in the bed, "W... What?"

"Don't you remember?" He demanded.

"Remember what? What's going on?"

"You killed them!" I froze, "I came to save Amy, Rory, and you and I found you murdering Amy! She was already dead and you kept—you kept attacking her!"

"Wha—! Wait, Doctor, I don't know what you're talking about," I insisted, but he shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

"You _wouldn't stop_! I pulled you off her and you kept trying," he said, hot tears falling down his face. "Why? What's wrong with you!?"

"Stop! I don't... I didn't—" I took a shaky breath, trying to calm myself. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Stop lying!" He hissed, "I've watched empires falls, civilizations turned to dust, entire species go extinct in a heart beat. Don't think for a second that I wouldn't kill you. I should, after what you did—"

"I didn't!"

"But, I decided what would be better is studying you," I froze. "Your anatomy is spectacular, I must admit. I've been holding out for this long, so why kill you when I can get something even better?"

Tears welled in my eyes as I tried to move away, "Do—Doctor, please, don't do this! I–I'll leave, you'll never see me again! I—"

"SHUT UP!" He screeched, "They're dead! Gone! This is all your fault! Be grateful I'm not throwing you in a blackhole."

I tried to get out of the bed but chains weighed my body down, keeping me from moving a single inch. "Doctor, please! I–I'm sorry, I didn't... I didn't mean to kill them, I—"

The Doctor strode over and my heart began to race, I pulled at the chains, trying to bend them but my powers weren't cooperating. He pulled something out of the pocket of his tweed ja—white coat. He was wearing a white coat.

Needle. A shiny white needle with a sterile substance contained inside. He fiery, intense glare could rival a thousand exploding stars. "Sorry won't bring them back." He plunged it into my arm and I screamed.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
 **?'s POV**  
"Hazel, wake up!"

I shot out up, moving away from whoever stood in front of me. My lungs longing for air, my hands clammy. I could feel myself shaking— _no. Not_ myself _. It is_ it _. It is Subject 63-2a—no, Subject 63-1a. No. Yes._ No _._

 _Stop. It has mission, it must—_ shaking _. It is shaking. Why?_

 _It was_ scared _? What an odd feeling. It does not feel scared. It_ cannot _feel scared! It has no emotions, it must finish its mission, or—_

"Hazel, look at me, that was House messing with your head. We gotta go find Amy, come on," the man picked it up. _Human? He was human_? It sniffed, _he smelled like a Whitecoat. It must be going to another test. Another wiping. It did not finish mission. It failed._

 _No. It is_ it _, isn't it? What is mission?_ It closed its eyes, recalling its mission details _. It is not it. It is_ Hazel _. Hazel... Where was Hazel, it—_ **I?** _—_ it _didn't know. It didn't need to know._

 _It—_ Hazel _? No, no,_ I _. No! It is not an_ I _! It is_ ** _not_** _an I, it is_ it _! No!_ Yes _! No!! Punishment, for using wrong word! No speaking! No 'I'!_

It heard speaking, down the hall. Soft mumbling. It smelled tears, salty tears. The man helped it down the hall, finding a woman, who was... What was it doing? she was whispering, she was _emoting_.

It looked at the woman in disgust, _no emotion. Emotion must die. Emotion does not help mission_. "... Rory, I'm so, so sorry," the woman sobbed.

"Amy?" The man said, and the woman look up. The man helped the woman— _Amy_. He called her ' _Amy_ '. "It's messing with our heads. Come on, run." Now, they were moving again, the Whitecoat was helping it run.

_What? That didn't make sense. It does not get help, Whitecoat hurt it, it is silent. It does not argue. It does nothing. It follow orders._

_No, I am_ **_free_ ** _, I do not—_

_No, no, it is_ **_it!_ ** _Shut up shut up shut up sh—_

It stops, holding its head, "Hazel?"

"No, no, no, no..." It muttered. _Mission. What is mission!? It needs mission! It can't—stop. Protocol is shut down if mission is compromised._

And it did just that and crumbled to the ground.   
•-•-•-•-•  
"Hazel, hey! Hazel, wake up." Its eyes fluttered open, looking straight into dull green ones. It gasped, moving backwards. _What's going on?! It was supposed to shut down! Why is it here, where is leader!? What was its mission!?_

"Hey! Calm down!" The man said— _not man. Two hearts. Alien_. "It's just me, Hazel. Are you feeling okay?" The Unknown tried to touch it and it moved away.

" _Who are you? What do you want with_ —" _What was it again? It? I? Hazel_? This brought a round of pain to its head. It held its head in pain, groaning. _No, wait. Not it, Haz—STOP! It is it! It is it!_

"You're speaking german again, Hazel," The Unknown said. "I'm the Doctor, remember? What's going on with you, what did House do?" _The Doctor? Whitecoat. Listen to Whitecoat. Obey orders._

It sat up straight, ignoring the pounding pain in its head. _Pain is not necessary_ , it drilled. "Hazel, talk to me. What going on?"

It looked at the Doctor, " _Awaiting orders_."

The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows, "What orders?"

It rose an eyebrow, " _Orders. What is its mission_?"

The Doctor had a bewildered expression on his face, "' _It_ '?! What did House _do_ to you?" The Doctor put his hands on its temples, closing his eyes, and it stiffened. "What in the... Your _memories_! Did House do this?"

" _It does not understand_ ," the Doctor looked at it with a... Emote it could not comprehend.

The Doctor ignored her, "What are these—wait." He looked down at her, "Oh dear."

" _It is waiting for orders_."

"Hazel, stop this isn't you."

" _Hazel_?" It frowned, " _Hazel is its mission_?"

"No, I—" he ran a hand down his face. "You were brainwashed. I don't know how, but maybe I can get you back."

" _It does not understand_."

"I'm sorry, Hazel," the Doctor sighed. " _Schule. Weiße Mäntel. Laura. Flügel. Experimentieren. Folter. Töten. Radiergummis. Flyboys. Herde. Maximum Ride._ " Everything went black.  
•-•-•-•-•  
Hazel's POV  
I woke up with a pounding headache, "Ugh..." I muttered, sitting up. I was in my room, the Doctor sat beside the bed in a wooden chair.

Hearing me wake up, he looked up, "What's going on?" I asked, rubbing my forehead. He jumped up, pressing his fingers to my temples.

"It's all here," he murmured, then looked back at me. "You're back?"

"What is? My hair?" I rolled my eyes, jerking away from him. "What's going on? What do you mean I'm ' _back_ '?"

His eyes scanned my body, "Hazel, do you have any idea what happened?"

"I would if you told me."

He stared at me in shock, then, he stood up. "Get some sleep. I'll be back later." He turned his back on me and left before I could protest. I sighed, lying back down. Suddenly, my eyes felt heavy and I realized how exhausted I was. In seconds, I was fast asleep.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
 _How long? How long have I been here? Is this hell? Have I finally died by the hands of a Whitecoated bitch!?_

I shuddered in the darkness. _It had been months, I think, but it felt like years. Decades. Centuries._

_Where was he!? He should have came by now! He... He was suppose to come by now. I begged for him, I prayed for him! But all I got was nothing! He can stay traveling the universe in his little blue box, he didn't I've a damn about me. I was his long since fun to play with toy. My wing didn't dazzle him, my words didn't speak to his heart. All I had now was myself._

_Why... Why didn't it feel different!? It was always the same. Same circumstances, same cage, same people. Same. Same. Same. Same..._

"Let me go!" I raged. _How many times have I screamed this? How many times have I pounded my fists at the ground till they bled? How many times have I screamed till my sore was raw, cried till no more tears would come out?_

_And how many times have I prayed for the Doctor? Just to see his grand blue box that save me from those Flyboys. The same Flyboys that shot her into... What was her name? A woman. I couldn't see her face in my mind anymore. Hell, I could barely see the Doctor's face. All I remembered were green eyes. Dull green eyes that looked years old and when angry sent shivers down my spine._

I sighed, leaning against the wall. The stained wall—bloodstained with _my_ blood. I vaguely wondered how it looked before I arrived. I imagine it was pristine, not a single spot out of place. Now it was dirty. Stained with a burgundy red that I knew would take a lifetime's supply worth of bleach to get out.

I leaned against the wall. _How many times have I begged them to stop, yet refused to give away any information? I could just stop. I could just give up. Was all this pain I was suffering worth their safety?_

I took a shaky breath, _I couldn't give them away. Not after all this time, I wouldn't let myself. I needed to find them. I also needed to get out of here. And I needed food, water, et cetera. My food should have came in now maybe the Bitch had my schedule messed up. Maybe she changed it to every other week without food than just once a week._

I shivered. "Please... Let me go."

_I wondered how many times I longed to go home._


	16. chapter sixteen:

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the chapter mess up but now it's definitely fixed!
> 
> If you would like more stories to read involving Maximum Ride, Avenger, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Supernatural and many other titles, check out my Wattpad, @/happyritas! 
> 
> Enjoy~

Chapter 16:  
Hazel's POV

I sat silently on the railing, watching Amy and Rory play darts. Music played in the background creating a peaceful mood, "Forty six," Amy scowled at her score. "Rubbishy, rubbishy, rubbish."

"You didn't throw correctly," I spoke up. "Keep both eyes open and aim properly. Also your throw was weak." I took the dart from Amy, demonstrating it. Drawing my hand back, I throw the dart, landing it directly in the middle of the board, landing it in the center.

"Nice shot," Rory praised. "Who taught you to throw?"

"I did," I shrugged, "Erasers and a great instinct makes very good target practice." Amy chuckled, as the Doctor turned off the music.

"Who wants fish and chips?" He asked, and Rory rose his hand. "I'll drop you both off. Take your time. Don't rush."

"Er, and you?" Rory asked, standing up straight.

"Things to do," the Doctor answered, twisting his hands together. "Things involving other things."

"Well, we'll stay with you," Amy said. "We'll do the other things."

"Nope," the Doctor says automatically, and I narrowed my eyes. _What's up with him? He's been acting weird since the Idris incident. Maybe he missed her more than he thought he would have_?

"Whatever you're up to, I'd personally like to be a part of it," Amy said firmly, but he gives her a strange look, searching into her ivory green eyes. Amy steps back, raising an eyebrow, "What?"

A loud blaring alarm jerks me off the railing, I grit my teeth, covering my ears instantly. I hear the Doctor yelling something, but I ignore him, trying to block out the noise that is pounding into my skull, and the shaking and jerking of the TARDIS.

Finally it stops, and I looked up, "Textbook landing," the Doctor says, brushing off his jacket. He hurried over to me, helping me up, "You okay?"

"Other than the ringing in my ears, dandy," I muttered, rubbing my sore ear drums. He gives me a pitying look, since there is nothing he really can do about it, and goes to the door, throwing it open.

"Behold, a cockerel!" The Doctor exclaimed, "Love a cockerel." I moved to see the Doctor looking at a iron weathervane, that creaked on the rusty hinges, ear-piercingly loud. "And underneath, a monastery. Thirteenth century."

"Oh, we've gone all mediaeval," Amy rolled her eyes.

"I don't think so," I said, my lips twisted into a frown. "I smell chemicals." I watch as the Doctor inspects a pipeline that has a really blurred name on it.

"These fissures are new," he said, standing up. "Solar tsunami sent out a huge wave of gamma particles. This is caused by a magnetic quake that occurs just before the wave hits."

"Well, the monastery's standing," Amy pointed out, and then the Doctor pulled a snow globe out of his pocket, and shook it.

"Yeah, for now," he muttered, studying the globe.

"Doctor, look," Rory pointed to another pipe that was open as well, this one with the label clear.

"Yeah. It's a supply pipe," the Doctor said, squatting down to get a better look. "Ceramic inner lining. Something corrosive. They're pumping something nasty off this island to the mainland."

A unknown song floats through the air, and I rose an eyebrow. "My mum's a massive fan of Dusty Springfield," Rory said, semi-proudly.

"Who isn't? Right, let's go. Satisfy our rabid curiosity," The Doctor made his way into the church as we tagged along.

I turned to Rory, giving him a questioning look, "Who's that?" I asked.

"Singer. Amazing music—absolutely brilliant voice. You'd love her," the Doctor grinned, as he walked into a courtyard.

"So where are these Dusty Springfield loving monks, then?" Amy asked and I shrugged a shoulder.

"I think we're here. This is it," the Doctor muttered, and we all gave him strange looks.

"Doctor, what are you talking about?" Rory asked, "We've never been here before."

"Hmm?" He wasn't paying attention, looking at something off to the side. _I swear he has the attention span of a two year old._

"We came here by accident?" Amy asked.

"Accident? Yes, I know," he nodded, rubbing his hands together. "Accident."

I sniffed, rubbing my nose, the chemicals from the acids were influencing my senses, making me feel lightheaded. I watch as Rory placed his hand on the rail, then hissed in pain, holding his hand to chest.

"Ow!" He cried, massaging his hand. The Doctor grabbed his hand, inspecting it.

"Acid," he explained. "They're pumping acid off this island. That's old stuff. Fresh acid, you wouldn't have a finger." Rory grimaced and I laughed at him.

"You want me to heal it?" He shook his head, no.

"I–I'll be fine."

"Whatever you say," I shrugged a shoulder, exploring the courtyard. The sound of an alarm stopped me in my tracks.

" _Intruder alert. Intruder alert_." My instincts took over instantly, I turned invisible, standing near the wall. Memories flashed in my head and I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to stop. _Focus_ , I chided myself. I tried to see if I could smell them, but the burning scent of acid filled my nose, and I cringed, trying my ears instead. Footsteps were nearing us, and I'm sure the Doctor noticed too, because he frowned.

"There are people coming," the Doctor says, then paused. "Well, almost," he added.

"Almost coming?"

"Almost _people_ ," he corrected Amy, which made me frown. _Were they aliens? What made them almost '_ people _'? Was this like the School? Experimenting on people to the point that you truly couldn't consider them human anymore? Or maybe, they were just brainwashed to the point that they were left a drooling mess. But why keep people like that in a place where they're harvesting acid? That's a waste of resources, even the School would know that. Or maybe they weren't human; they weren't people. They were clones. I heard they were cloning people a while back, but I haven't seen it happen before. Why waste the lives of clones? Well, I suppose from their point of view, they are used a tools._

My eyes darkened at the word, _tools_. _Just like the School. Not even thought of, or even_ considered _, human_. I balled my fists, glaring at the ground. _I truly_ ** _hate_** _humans_.

"Hazel!?" The Doctor called, and I shot my head up. "She was right here! I don't know where she went." He muttered, running a hand through his brown hair.

"Oh, sorry," I said quickly, turning off my invisibility.

"Come on," he grabbed my arm, bring me down the hall. I followed behind him closely. We found Amy and Rory inspecting harnesses on the wall with people resting vertically in them.

"Weird," I mutter, going close to one. _They're unconscious, not dead._

"What are all these harnesses for?" Amy asked, as I took a step back, coughing lightly into my arm.

"The almost people?" Rory suggest, but something suggests otherwise.

"What are they, prisoners, or are they meditating, or what?" Amy continued.

"Well, they're not prisoners," I said. "These latches are way too easy to get out of; a baby could do it. _Blindfolded_."

The Doctor rubbed his face, "Well, at the moment they fall into the _or what_ category." The sound of footsteps running into the room made my hair stand on end, but I refuse to let myself disappear again.

"Well, we've halted. How are we all doing on the calm front?" The Doctor said, raising his hands as several people with orange, full-body work suits approach is. They are wielding what looked like metal javilins, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Don't move!" One of them order.

"Stay back, Jen," another says. "We don't know who they are."

"So let's ask them," the woman said. Her box is young; probably in her earl twenties maybe. She's also a brunette, with a kind and curious, yet fierce look in her eyes. "Who the hell are you?" She spat, and I rose an eyebrow, _she's feisty, that's for sure_.

"Well, I'm the Doctor, and this is Amy, Rory, and Hazel, and it's all very nice, isn't it?" The Doctor greeted, and I turn to the side, coughing into my shirt.

I notice Amy looking back and forth from the people resting in the harnesses, to the ones standing in front of us. "Hold up. You're all. What are you all? Like identical twins?"

The another woman with brown hair stepped forward, except she was older; probably in for forties, and hers was pulled into a low ponytail while the younger woman—did they call her Jen?—had a lower ponytail. From the way she carried herself and the hard look in her eyes, she was most likely the one in charge of this... Operation.

"This is an Alpha Grade industrial facility," she said sternly. "Unless you work for the military or for Morpeth Jetson, you are in big trouble."

"Actually, you're in big trouble," the Doctor flashed his wallet at her, and she narrowed her eyes.

" _Meteorological Department_?" She scoffed, "Since _when_?"

"Since you were hit by a solar wave."

"Which we survived."

"Just, by the look of it. And there's a bigger one on the way."

"Which we'll also survive," the suited woman rolled her eyes at the Doctor, waving we hand to the man beside her, who also wore a strange suit. "Dicken, scan for bugs." 'Dicken' stepped forward, raising a device in his hand.

"Backs against the wall. Now." He brought the scanner up to us, scanning us up and down. The Doctor went first, and was still talking.

"You're not a monastery, you're a factory," he accused. "Twenty second century army-owned factory."

"No, love. We're contractors, and you're trespassers," the woman rolled her eyes as the man came to me. I clenched my jaw as he scanned over my body. Then, a loud beeping sounded from the instrument and I glared at it. The metal hissed in response, a thin stream of air seeping from it.

The man bit his lip, slapping the scanner with his palm. "Maybe it's faulty," I suggested.

"Can't be; it just worked," he muttered, then pocketed the scanner. "Guess I'll have to pat you down."

My eyes narrowed, flashing yellow, "I don't think that'll be necessary," I replied sharply. Strangely, he didn't react at all. I froze as he merely rose an eyebrow.

"I believe it is," he brought his hands towards me and I pushed him away, my eyes wide. _What was going on? Why didn't that work_? I strained my ears to for a heartbeat, which I definitely heard. But, strangely, they didn't smell human, they smelled... Artificial, almost.

"Oi, leave her alone," Amy said, pulling me away from the man.

He pursed his lips, but the woman responded for him, "Leave her. She's just a kid anyway."

"Well, they're clear then, boss," Dickens said, giving me a wary look.

The woman turned back to the Doctor, shoving his wallet into his chest roughly. "All right, weatherman, your ID checks out," she said gruffly, crossing her arms over her chest. "If there's another solar storm, what are you going to do about it? Hand out sunblock?"

"I need to see your critical systems," the Doctor answered.

"Which one?"

"You know which one."  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
As we walked down the spiny, turning halls, I was still thinking about what had happened with that guy, Dickens. _I used my abilities, but he wasn't affected, at all! How!? Unless he's deaf—which by the way he refused to shut up, he probably wasn't—there's no way he could resist it._

 _Well, he could be a mutant like me, but I would have noticed something as... Different as that. Besides, he obviously doesn't have wings sprouting out of his back, or scales or fur or feathers, so how did he resist something like that? Immunity, maybe? No, that couldn't happen, that's... Not possible_.

I bit my fingernails, too lost in thought to hear the Doctor call my name. That is, until he tapped me on the shoulder.

I jumped away, feeling my wings trying to move, but I easily stilled them, staring at him. "What's wrong? What did I do?" I asked automatically, my brain rattling off every worse case scenario that might have happened, but I forced myself to stop.

"Nothing, you just looked pretty deep in thought. Have anything you wanna talk about?" I frowned, noticing that the others had walked ahead, leaving us behind.

My gaze shifted to the ground, "I'm fine." I replied quickly, running a hand through my hair and wincing when it caught knots. "Just thinking."

"Anything that I should worry about?" I frowned, pursing my lips.

"No. Not yet," I began to walk ahead, ignoring the strange looks he burrowed into my skull. Soon, I had caught up with the others, and so had the Doctor, and we all walked into a strange room.

It was stranger than the other rooms I had seen as I passed. This one was smaller, and fairly empty, except for the huge rectangular vat in the center of the room, filled with a bubbly white... Substance. It was thick, from what I could tell, and was a tanned, off-white shade. I crinkled my nose, it smelled horrible, even worse than the stony halls. It had a kind of artificial, but familiar. I scrunched my eyebrows up, my nose twitching. _Where... Had I smelt this...?_

"And there you are," the Doctor awed, circling the vat and eying it with mild curiosity.

"Meet the government's worst kept secret," the woman said, waving her gloved arm over the vat. "The Flesh. It's fully programmable matter. In fact, it's even learning to replicate itself at the cellular level." I frowned, _learning_?

"Right," Amy nodded, although she didn't look too sure. "Brilliant... Lost."

"Okay. Once a reading's been taken, we can manipulate its molecular structure into anything. Replicate a living organism down to the hairs on its chinny chin chin. Even clothes. And everything's identical. Eyes, voice—"

"Mind, soul?" The Doctor interrupted.

"Don't be fooled, Doctor," she rolled her eyes sassily. "It acts like life but it still needs to be controlled by us, from those harnesses you saw."

Then it struck me, " _Harnesses_? You're not... Human." _That's why they smelled artificial! They weren't human!_

"If you wanna put it that way, yes," she shrugged. "I'm lying in a harness back in that chamber. We all are, except Jennifer here," Amy turned to look at the woman, who had in response met her gaze, before shifting her her eyes away. "Don't be scared. This thing, just like operating a forklift truck." I frowned, _a substance creating life being used as a tool. And these people were letting it, the Flesh, copy them. Could it make decoys by itself?_

"You said it could grow," the Doctor said, now looking a bit suspicious. "Only living things grow."

"Moss grows. It's no more than that," she explained sourly, and for some reason, I flinched. "This acid is so dangerous we were losing a worker every week. So now we mine the acid using these doppelgangers. Or Gangers. If these bodies get burnt or fall in the acid—"

"Then who the hell cares," one of the other men interrupted with a hearty laugh, nudging the woman, Jennifer, beside him in the arm gently. "Right, Jen?"

"Nerve endings automatically cut off like airbags being discharged," Jennifer explained simply. "We wake up and get a new Ganger."

"It's weird, but you get used to it," the other man shrugged. He sounded much more mature than other men.

"Jennifer, I want you in your Ganger," the woman-in-charge ordered. "Get back to the harness." I shivered at her words, ' _get back in your Ganger_ '.

 _They treat the Flesh like it's not real, but it's able to create life. How do you not get anymore real than that_?

Jennifer leaves the room as the Doctor began to sonic the Flesh. "Hang on, what's he up to?" One of the men ask, coming up behind the Doctor, who has a serious expression on his face. "What you up to, pal?"

He looks like he's in a fight with the Flesh, and somehow, he's _losing_. " _Stop it_ ," he finally gasped, yanking his sonic away. "Strange. It was like for a moment there it was scanning me," the Doctor smiled, giddily, but nobody else seemed to join in on this though.

"Doctor," the woman said just as he lowers his hand into the vat. Several conflicted emotions cross his face, he looks... Scared. Confused. Then, he pulls away, now shocked.

"I understand," he finally says, looking at the Flesh with pity.

"Doctor," I finally speak up, stepping forward. Something didn't sound right, this wasn't right.

"Doctor? Are you all right?" Amy asked the time lord, who looked like he had just made a scientific breakthrough.

"Incredible," the Doctor awed. "You have no idea. _No idea_. I mean, I felt it in my mind. I reached the out to it, and it to _me_."

"How?" I asked, but my question is drowned out by the woman's scolding.

"Don't fiddle with the money, Doctor," she growled.

"How can you be so blinkered?" The Doctor demanded, "It's alive. _So alive_. You're piling your lives, your personalities directly into it." There is a loud bang, and the overhead lights begin to flash on and off. "It's the solar storm," the Doctor said, dropping the topic of the Flesh. "The first waves come in pairs. Pre-shock and fore-shock. It's close."

"Buzzer, we got anything from the mainland yet?" The woman asked, and another man checks a device, similar to the one Dickens used to scan us.

"No, the comms are still too jammed with radiation," Buzzer answered.

"Okay. Then we'll keep pumping acid until the mainland says stop," the woman said stubbornly. "Now why don't you stand back and let us impress you?"

"Wait, wait," I frowned disapprovingly at the woman. "How do you know that they have told you to stop already? He just said that the comms were jammed. What if they're trying to get a message through and you're not getting it because it's not working?"

"You wanna base my decision on a what-if, girl?" The woman narrowed her eyes.

"I just think that as a head of a team, you should be able to make rational decisions and use common sense," I explained smoothly.

"I don't see _you_ doing my job. Here, take my suit, you pump the acid yourself."

"At least I'm not putting my entire team in danger!" I snapped, "You don't have to be a genius to know that this building is old, lady. You're just shooting the dead deer, here. It can't sustain another shock like the first one."

"This is my factory, therefore we work by my rules, kid. If I say pump, we pump until I say stop. And if I say make a Ganger, then we keep making Gangers. Now, you can either listen to my rules or go back home and be a smartass to someone else!" She paused for a second, "And it's Cleaves, kid."

Suddenly, something begins to form out of the Flesh, which I'm soon able to recognize as a face. Moments later, a new Jennifer sits up.

"Well, I can see why you keep it in a church. Miracle of life," the Doctor muttered under his breathe and I snickered.

"No need to get poncey. It's just gunge," Buzzer replied drily.

"Guys, we need to get to work," Cleaves says, stepping away from us.

The second man helps Jennifer out of the vat, "Okay, everybody, let's crack on."

"Did I mention the solar storm?" The Doctor says, looking at the all them incredulously. "You need to get out of here."

"Where do you want us to go?" He asked, "We're on a tiny island."

"Well, I can get you all off it," the Doctor assured.

"Don't be ridiculous," Cleaves rolls her eyes. "We've got a job to do." The lights flicker again, and there is a loud beeping, I flinch, holding my ears, trying to block out the noise.

"It's coming."

"That's the alarm," Jennifer says, sounding a bit annoyed.

"How do you get power?"

"We're solar," Cleaves explained, "We use a solar router. The weathervane."

"You use solar attraction to get energy and you're not concerned that this attractor might break or something!?" I demanded, but she merely shrugged.

"Big problem," the Doctor muttered, and the mature-man steps forward. _He looks almost like a Jason, or something_.

"Boss, maybe if the storm's back we should get underground," he said, now sounding concerned. "The factory's seen better days. The acid pipes might not withstand another hit."

"We have two hundred tons of acid to pump out, Jimmy." _Oh, I was close_. "We fall behind, we stay another rotation. Anyone want that?"

"It's better to stay another rotation than find yourself dead," I growled at the woman, who glared at me.

"Please, you are making a massive mistake here," the Doctor begged. "You're right at the crossroads of it. Don't turn the wrong way. If you don't, if you don't prepare for this storm, you are all in terrible danger. Understand?"

"My factory, my rules," Cleaves reminded arrogantly, and I throw my hands in the air.

The Doctor sighed, giving up on the woman and her team, "I need to check the progress of the storm. Monitoring station? Monitoring station."

"Three lefts, a right and a left. Third door on your left," Jennifer replied and the Doctor thanked her, running off with Rory and Amy, but I stayed.

"Aren't you going to go off with the pretty boy?" Cleaves sneered at me, and I crossed my arms firmly over my chest.

"One of us should stay," I replied, "You know, when something goes wrong."

The woman rolled her eyes, "We can take care of ourselves," she glared.

"Just here for a bit of support," I shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't you have acid to harvest?" Her glare intensified and as she sharply turned.

"Let's get moving," Cleaves ordered her crew as they quickly shuffled out the door.   
**•-•-•-•-•**  
"You can't go past here without a suit, kid," Jimmy explained. We were in the harness room again, everyone was suiting up, a few watching their unconscious decoys. The light had began to flicker badly, one time shutting off for a full thirty seconds and leaving us in complete darkness.

"I'll stay here then," I replied easily. I felt my throat constrict again, and I began to cough roughly. The acid was mixing with the stone, making it harder to breath for me. Although I was able to fly at higher air pressures, being down lower and around dissolving stone wasn't my strong point.

"You sure you're okay?" I blinked at the man's concern, then smirked coyly.

"Yeah, don't worry about me, I—" I felt the hairs on my neck stand as stiff as a stick, and I froze. _The storm_.

Before I had the chance to warn anyone, they began to scream in pain, their face turning molten. I wince at their loud cries in pain, feeling the metal machinery jolt with electricity, overwhelming it.

Their screaming intensifies, and I instinctively cover my ears, stumbling away. My hand latches unto a metal bar on the side, which I hadn't realized was connected to one of the harnesses.

Electricity courses through my veins and my cries join theirs. I wanted to pull away, but my mind flashes elsewhere.

_I don't know! I don't know where they are! Stop it! Make her stop! Stop!!_

Then, memories of something else crept in my mind. Tied to a chair firmly, shivering from ice cold water being repeated poured over my head, almost giving me a drowning sensation. Having my feather plucked. Being beaten until I couldn't move a finger. And being electrocuted for what felt like hours, eternities, even.

Those same, strange, dangerous words bounced in my head.

_Schule. Weiße Mäntel. Laura. Flügel. Eaxperimentieren. Folter. Töten. Radierg—_

**_STOP. STOP. STOP. STOP. ST—_ **

The last thing I remember was falling face first into a dead faint.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
"Hazel, get up," I heard someone say, and my eyes fluttered open. Doctor Fiona stood in front of me, holding a dark, thick whip in her hand, smirking.

I screamed, scrambling back, my hands coming up to protect myself instinctively, "No! STOP! Get away from me!" I screeched, hearing something creak from overhead.

"Hazel! Calm down," I heard the Doctor say, and I peeked an eye open to see him, and everyone else, on the other side of the room, stiff against the wall. It took me a second before I realized that I was controlling them.

I blinked the yellow-ness of my eyes away, staring at the ground, "Sorry," I muttered quickly. My skin still tingled, feeling like it was on fire from when I touched the bar and—

I froze, squeezing my eyes shut, _where were those memories even from!? I've never been tortured like... Like that. I don't remember that! That wasn't me, whose memories were those!? I didn't—I couldn't... I—_

"Hazel," the Doctor tapped my shoulder and I jumped, bringing my hand to my shoulder instantly. "I asked if you were okay?"

"Ye... Yeah," I mumbled, swallowing down the knot in my throat. "Yeah, I am, sorry, I... There was this weird dream... Thing, and..." I couldn't even finish my sentence. _What had happened? What was that? Where was it from? Why did it feel vaguely familiar but millennia away?_

The Doctor gave me a wary look at my answer, "Are you sure? You look a bit—"

"I'm fine!" I snapped, now for some reason upset. I didn't want to think about that again, yet I knew it was wrong to take it out on him, he had nothing to do with it. I looked away, "S... Sorry," I stammered.

The Doctor, although looking a bit hurt, didn't ask a question. A familiar song floats distantly in the air. _That's the song from earlier_ , I realized, _the dust spring–something_. "That's my record," Jimmy said, upset, "Who's playing my record?"

"Your Gangers," the Doctor answered. "They've gone walkabout."

"No, it's impossible," Cleaves denies instanty. "They're not active. Cars don't fly themselves, cranes don't lift themselves and Gangers don't..." She trailed off, not being able to find the correct wording.

"We need to find them," Amy said, which everyone agreed to. We hurry down the hallway, not being able to run too fast because some of the others who were still in the harness are still a bit out of it. Eventually, we get to the dining hall, and find the place completely trashed.

Books are thrown from their best stacked to the floor, there wasn't a single clean spot on the stone table, a few backpacks, which I assume were full of random things are scattered haphazardly on the floor. What does stick out is a neat card tower stacked on the end of the table.

"No way..." Buzzer whispered.

"I don't... I don't believe this..." Cleaves said with a look nothing short of flabbergasted.

"They could've escaped through the service door at the back," Jimmy says, looking at the back door, not the table.

"This is just like the _Isle of Sheppey_ ," my eyebrows furrowed at the unfamiliar location, vaguely wondering what that was.

"It would seem the storm has animated your Gangers," the Doctor said, finally providing an explanation.

"They ransacked our stuff!" Cleaves accused, somehow sounding a bit whiny.

"Not ransacked," the Doctor corrected with a disapproving, scolding frown. " _Searched_."

"Through _our_ stuff!"

"Their stuff."

"Searching for what?" Jimmy asked.

"Confirmation," the Doctor answered. "They need to know their memories are real."

"Oh, so they've got flaming memories now," Buzzer scoffed, crossing his arms tightly.

"They feel compelled to connect to their lives," the Doctor reasoned.

"Their stolen lives," Cleaves growled under her breath.

"No, _bequeathed_ ," the Doctor explained. "You gave them this. You poured in your personalities, emotions, traits, memories, secrets, everything. You gave them your lives. Human lives are amazing. Are you surprised they walked off with them?"

"I'll say it again. _Isle of Sheppey_ ," Buzzer said, beginning his gruesome story. "Ganger got an electric shock, toddled off, killed his operator right there in his harness. I've seen the photos. This bloke's ear was all hanging—"

"Even if this has actually happened," Jimmy cut him off with a glare, effectively silencing is gory tall-tale. "They can't remain stable without us plumbed in to them, can they, boss."

"I guess we'll find out," Cleaves replied drily, pressing her lips into a thin line.

I began to tune them out after that, taking a ball of metal that I had left over from my metal-feathers and twisting it in my fingers aimlessly. I needed to think, and this... 'Ganger' situation thing wasn't helping at all. After we finished this, I wanted to go back to the TARDIS and go to my room and think. _Hopefully make a plan on what I should do, maybe even_ —

A sharp pain racked on my back and I gasped loudly, my knees buckling underneath me. I felt like someone had just chopped my wings off. Panicking, I slipped a hand up my sweatshirt, feeling my wings that were folded in my shirt. My soft, downy feathers fluttered from my touch, and I calmed down a bit.

"Hazel?" Amy called, and I snapped my head up. "Is everything alright?" It was then that I noticed that everyone was watching me. I flinched, wanting to go invisible in that exact moment, but refused to allow myself to do so.

"Y... Yeah..." I replied although my voice hinted at uncertainty. I cleared my throat, shakily standing up. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" I didn't reply. Instead, the microwave dinged and the Doctor pulls a microwave dinner out and handed it to Cleaves.

She gives him confused look, and the Doctor stands up straight. "It's hot," suddenly, Cleaves gasped, dropping the dinner on the ground making food cover the dirty stone flooring. "Trans-matter's still a little rubbery. Nerve endings not quite fused properly."

"What are you talking about?" Cleaves demanded, holding her burned hands to her chest.

"It's okay," the Doctor assured, as if he's coaxing a small animal.

"Why didn't I feel that?" She seems to be asking herself more than the Doctor.

"You will. You'll stabilize."

"No, stop it. You're playing stupid games. Stop it!" She screeched.

"You don't have to hide," the Doctor said, his voice soft and comforting. "Please, trust me. I'm the Doctor."

Cleaves face shifts from a human one to a paler one with no nose. He turns around, facing Buzzer and Jimmy. Buzzer snatches a knife off the table, lunging at her.

"Where's the real Cleaves, you thing?" He hissed, "What have you done with her?" Jimmy holds Buzzer back, but he's struggling against his hold.

My eyes flash yellow, "Drop the knife and step back," I commanded, the uncertainty in my voice disappearing. Buzzer complied, but his glare full of hatred never leaves her.

"That's it. Good, you remember," the Doctor said, excitedly, despite the fact that someone almost got stabbed. "This is early Flesh. The early stages of the technology. So much to learn." Cleaves looks terrified, backing herself into a wall near the exit. Her fact still shifts between her normal one and her half-formed one.

"Doctor, what's happened to her?" Amy asked, I look at her, shocked to find disgust in her voice.

"She can't stabilize," the Doctor explained. "She's shifting between half-formed and full-formed, for now at least."

My breath hitches in my throat, suddenly it becomes painful to look at her. Understanding and guilt washes through me, but I force it away. Cleaves yelled something I didn't care to listen to. Instead, I close my eyes, not allowing memories of being in the School, being that helpless again.

_You're not there anymore, Hazel. You are free. You are free. It is free._

"Hazel!" Amy yanked my hand, dragging me down the hall with the others. "We can't find Rory! Do you think you can... I dunno, sniff him out or something?"

I crinkle my nose at her choice of words, "I'm not a dog," I said, yanking my hand away. "I can't find him either. This factory smells like acid—"

"Wow, I didn't notice!" Buzzer interrupted me, sarcasm ringing in his tone. "Who would've thought a acid factory would smell like acid!"

"Shut up," I glared at the man, which only resulted in rolling his eyes. "The acid in the factory is blocking out the scent of... Everything else. Honestly, it's a bit unnerving, but I can try to guess where he might have went."

"You're going to guess?" Buzzer said, angrily. "Guessing where he is isn't—"

"I said shut up!" I snapped, my eyes glaring yellow now. His mouth gaped, as if words wanted to fall out, but couldn't. I shut my eyes but did not release my hold on the annoying man, and rubbed my temples. "Jennifer said she needed to use the bathroom before they left," I said, remembering the conversation I overheard with Rory and Jennifer.

"How do you know?" Jimmy asked, seeing as my hold on Buzzer still hadn't left. He began to notice he couldn't speak now, making strange hand signs. My lip twitched in amusement, but the Doctor glared at me, so I stopped.

"I heard her," I replied calmly. "We're wasting time standing around, come on." We hurried down the hall, Jimmy leading us in the direction of the bathroom.

We stopped in front of a large acid puddle, and I took a step back, covering my face with my sweatshirt. "Explosion must've ruptured the acid feeds," Jimmy explained. "We're going to need the acid suits."

"No, no, no. We haven't got time," the Doctor waved us away, going the opposite direction. "Back, back, back!" We began to run the opposite way as the lethal acid spurted behind us.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
Finally, we slowed our running to a walk a we went into a bathroom with the door open. A few acid pipes had broke while we were running, making leaks spill down the wall and unto the floor, eroding away the stone.

Finally we stopped in a bathroom, which had a noticeably large hole in the wall. The others began to talk, but I stayed near the side of the wall, focusing on my breathing, which was coming out in short, uneven pants. "You okay?" I snapped my head up to see the Doctor, who was giving me a concerned look.

"Fine," I muttered, standing up straight. I overheard the others talking about a Locker Room. Probably going to get those acid suits from earlier.

"You looked a bit... Winded there," the Doctor grimaced. "Are you sure you're—"

"I'm fine," I growled, racking a hand through my hair, wincing when I only found knots. "You're going to the TARDIS? Be careful. There's probably acid puddles everywhere." I frowned, remembering the pipes from earlier. No doubt they had busted by now.

"I know," he said, "I'll be right back. Stay with Amy and Rory, make sure they don't go wandering again. Once you find themselves, meet me in the dining hall."

"What, so this means I'm in charge?" I teased with a chuckle.

He rolled his eyes, "Only this once." Then, the Doctor hurried out, leaving me with Amy and the other two mor—I mean _acid miners._  
 ** _•-•-•-•-•_**  
We had finally made it to the Locker room, only to find the pumpkin orange suits missing. "Those damn Gangers got to the acid suits!" Buzzer growled angrily.

"Don't you have back up suits?" I asked, but Jimmy shook his head.

"Those _were_ the back-up suits," he explained. I nodded, coughing into my shirt, again. I tried not to focus on the lightheaded-ness I was feeling. Instead I placed a hand on the wall, rubbing my temples.

"There is acid leaking everywhere," Dickens said. "Did you see the boss' eyes back there in the hall?"

"I've never seen a Ganger look at me like that," Buzzer shuddered.

"I don't know what they are now, but they ain't us," Dickens spat disgusted. I glared at him, wanting to argue that he was wrong, but instead I pushed myself off the wall.

"We need to keep moving," I said, turning out the hall, with the other men walking behind me.  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
The halls would have been much easier to navigate through had there not been acid leaks at nearly every corner. In order to keep track of the halls we shouldn't go through—which I knew because the smell of acid was much stronger there than anywhere else—I used my knife to mark the wall.

Pulling a knife out of my pocket in front of three on-edge men probably wasn't the best idea, but after assuring them I was only marking the wall, they calmed down. On the halls that smelled like acid, I carved a big 'X' in the wall. Soon, our walking in circles mindlessly had ended and we found Amy.

In the middle of a hall stood Amy, who luckily also found Rory. Behind him was a woman, who I recognized quickly as Jennifer, "Jen?" Buzzer says, but when she didn't answer, Amy did.

"No, it's a Ganger," I flinched at her words. It _. Why did that make me feel so uncomfortable_? "Rory, listen—"

"Look, you listen," Rory growled, surprising me with his protectiveness over her. "Nobody touches her."

"Rory, it's a Ganger," Amy tried to reason.

"She's a person," I spoke up, and she whipped her head around to turn to me. "She's human and nobody's going to touch her."

"Not you too, Hazel," Amy groaned. "She's not—"

"Stop, Amy," I growled, anger rising in my voice. "They have just as much of a right to live as you do."

"But it's not—"

"I said stop!" I snapped, "She's staying; nobody's hurting her."

"Or what?" Buzzer said, looking down at me. My eyes narrowed and I suppressed the urge to make him bite his own tongue off.

"We need to get back to the Dining Hall," I said, turning around. "If I see anyone lay a hand on her, you'll be missing a finger."   
**•-•-•-•-•**  
Just as I ordered, nobody had touched her the entire walk back to the Dining Hall. But, that didn't stop the intrusive questions they demanded her to answer the entire way there. I rubbed my temples, _they were giving me a headache._

Finally, we made it, and their unrelenting questions hadn't stopped. "Where's Jen?" Buzzer asked for what seemed like the eightieth time. "What have you done with her?"

"I haven't seen her, I swear," Jennifer said, a desperate tone edging at her voice. "But look, I'm her. I'm just like her. I'm _real_."

"You're a copy," Jimmy spat. "You're just pretending to be like her."

"That's enough!" I snapped, "I don't want hear another word."

I heard Buzzer scoff from behind me, "Don't tell us what to do kid," he glared.

"Leave her alone," I continued, despite his annoying, and frankly useless, words.

"Oi! What did I say, brat!?" His hand reached my direction, but when it was about a inch over my shoulder, I stepped back, easily flipping him over my shoulder. Buzzer cried out before hitting the stone ground with a heavy thud. He curled in on himself, groaning. I heard everyone else gasp, but I glared at the man, my yellow eyes furious.

"Don't... Touch me," I growled through clenched teeth. Dickens went to help the man up as I stepped around him, walking into the Dining Hall. Everyone else filed in behind me. Clearing off a spot at the table, I leaned my head down, closing my eyes.

"Okay," Amy said, taking a deep breath. My ears perked up when I heard several footsteps near us. "Let's not do anything at all—"

"Until the Doctor gets here," the Doctor finished, "Hello." I noticed several people trailing in behind him. The rest of the Gangers, who look fully human by this point.

Jimmy and his Ganger stare at each other, bewilderment evident in each other's eyes. "This is..."

"You're telling me," his Ganger said with a odd laugh.

"All right, Doctor, you've brought us together," Cleaves grunted, and I frowned. _Great to see she her double isn't as stern as she is_... "Now what?"

"Before we do anything, I have one very important question. Has anybody got a pair of shoes I could borrow?" The Doctor asked, curiously. I frowned, my eyes trailing to his feet—as everyone else had done—now noticing his feet were only covered in beige socks. "Size ten. Although I should warn you, I have very wide feet..."  
 **•-•-•-•-•**  
After the Doctor had been equipped with shoes, we began to talk. The Gangers stood on one side of the table, and everyone else on the other. It felt kind of political, in a sense. I sat on the 'human' side, as Dickens called it, not really engaging in the argument, unless I had something to say.

The Doctor sat in the middle, acting like a mediator between the two groups of people. "The Flesh was never merely moss," he explained. "These are not copies. The storm has hardwired them. They are becoming people."

"With souls?" Jimmy asked, incredulously.

"Rubbish!" Dickens said before sneezing. Again. I immediately flinched, _I_ hate it _when people sneeze..._

"Bless you. We were all jelly once," the Doctor continued. "Little jelly eggs sitting in goop."

"Some of us..." I muttered, and the Doctor gave me a pointed look.

"Yeah, thanks. Too much information," Amy said with a shudder. I rolled my eyes at her squeamishness.

"We are not talking about an accident that needs to be mopped up. We are talking about _sacred life_ ," the Doctor said sternly. "Do you understand?" After earning a half-hearted nod from everyone, he continued to talk. "Good. Now, the TARDIS is trapped in an acid pool." _Called it_. "Once I can reach her, I can get you all off this island, humans _and_ Gangers, eh? How does that sound?"

"Can I make it home for Adam's birthday?" Human-Jimmy wishfully asked.

"What about me?" Ganger-Jimmy asked, "He's my son too."

" _You_? You really think that?"

"I _feel_ it."

"Oh, so you were there when he was born, were you?"

"Yeah. I drank about eight pints of tea, then they told me I had a wee boy and I just burst out laughing. No idea why. I miss home, as much as you."

"Look, I'm not going to lie to you," the Doctor said, interrupting the two. "It's a right old mess, this. But as you might say up North, oh well, I'll just go to't foot of stairs. Eee by by gum," when everyone gave him a confused look, he cleared his throat, straightening himself. "Or not. Good. Right. First step is we get everyone together, then get everyone safe. Then, get everyone out of here."

"But we're still missing Jennifer and Cleaves," Amy says, and Jimmy stands a bit straighter.

"I'll go and look for them," he volunteered.

"I'll go with you. Cover more ground," Ganger-Jimmy suggest.

Jimmy gives him a bit of a reluctant look, before nodding, "Yeah, okay. Thanks." I saw the Doctor smirk at their progress, and I chuckle a bit myself. _Maybe everyone will get away alive after all._

I cut my thoughts of short when I suddenly hear footsteps from down the hall. I turned towards the door. The hairs on the back of my neck bristled and I sat up straight. The Doctor noted my suddenly alertness and ruffled his eyebrows.

Finally, the woman showed herself and my eyes narrowed at her. "This circus has gone on long enough," she said, pointing what looked like a taser at the Gangers.

"Oh, great," Ganger-Cleaves drawled. "You see, that is just so typically me."

"Doctor, tell it to shut up!" Cleaves snapped, pointing the taser at her. Ganger-Cleaves narrowed her eyes at the woman, but glanced at the weapon cautiously.

"Cleaves, no. No, no," The Doctor said, getting up.

"Circuit probe. Fires about ooo, _forty thousand volts_?" I stood up, glaring at the woman. "Would kill any one of us, so I guess she'll work on Gangers just the same."

"It's interesting you refer to _them_ as _it_ , but you call a _glorified cattle prod_ a _she,_ " the Doctor glared.

"When the _real people_ are safely off this island, then I'll happily talk philosophy over a pint with you, Doctor," Cleaves said sarcastically.

"What are you going to do to them?" Amy asked, sounding scared.

"Sorry," Cleaves shrugged stiffly, not moving the taser. "They're monsters. _Mistakes_. They have to be destroyed."

"Don't do it," I said, approaching the woman, but she glared at me. "You know you're wrong, Cleaves. They're people too. They've got hearts and minds and—"

"What do you know!?" She demanded, glaring angrily.

"I know that life is precious and right now you're taking it for granted," I said slowly. "You kill anyone in this room now and believe me you'll regret it later."

"Give me the probe, Cleaves," the Doctor said slowly, but she sneered at him.

"We always have to take charge," she turned to her Ganger, who backed away a bit. "Don't we, Miranda? Even when we don't really know what the hell is going on." In the corner of my eye, I see Ganger-Buzzer move, and instantly, I shot a hand out.

"Stop!" I ordered, my eyes yellow, but he doesn't listen. He rushed Cleaves, who recoiled, ready to strike him. Before anyone could blink, my hand is between the probe and Ganger-Buzzer.

Electricity races through my body and I scream out in pain, moving back and falling to my knees. I began to shake, as I am suddenly in the plastic cell with Doctor Fiona again. She was torturing me, she wanted information I couldn't give her.

"Stop stop stop stop stop stop stop," I mumbled, my voice stuttering. Then, I feel like I'm falling again.

I stiffened, _falling. I'm falling. He shot me, and now I'm going to die. I don't want to die!_ "Stop, please, I'm falling, no!" I gasped, tears streaking my face. There is yelling, _they're angry. Oh god, she's angry again. She's gonna bring him back!_

" _No_!" I sobbed, "Don't bring him back!"

" **Tell me where they are**!" Doctor Fiona hissed in my ear.

"Stop!"

" **TELL ME**!"

"Please! Stop! I don't know! I don't know! I don't—" I felt fingers brush against my head and I flinched, but seconds later I was greeted by darkness.  
•-•-•-•-•  
"... Waking up, finally," I heard someone say. Slowly, I opened my eyes.

Doctor Fiona was holding my chin in her hands, her shining red lips danced with a malicious smile. In her hands was the remote—the one that would electrocute me. "No, no, no—"

"Hazel! Calm down," someone grabbed my shoulders and I jumped, somehow, the image leaving and being replaced by the Doctor. His dull green eyes staring at me, wide and concerned.

I gasped, trying to move away, but my back was against a wall, keeping me in place. I began to shake uncontrollably, forcing my hands to grip whatever I was seated on—which happened to be a barrel. "Hey, hey, calm down, it's me," the Doctor soothed.

"Calm down, we're not going to hurt you," another voice—the Doctor's voice—said. My eyes snapped his direction, finding another Doctor, who waved his fingers at me. "Hello."

" ** _Bring in the other one_** ," I heard a voice say in the back of my mind. " ** _This one no longer interests me_** ," I froze at the familiar voice, my eyes widening. I felt like I couldn't breath, and I placed hand on my chest. Somehow, I slipped off the barrel I was on, and began to cough, my eyesight blurring.

_Stop, stop. Make it stop. I don't—it doesn't want to go with him! Stop! No! No!!_

"Hazel!" The Doctor said, coming to my side.

"Panic attack," another voice said. I heard the Doctor speaking soothingly to me.

"Breathe, Hazel," he whispered, "It's going to be okay, you just need to breathe."

"It doesn't want to go," I gasped. "He's going to kill it. He going to kill it. He's—"

"Stop," the Doctor hauled me up by my shoulders, leaning me against the wall. He cupped his hands on my face, making me freeze, my entire body tensing. "Calm down. Breathe. Copy my breathing, are you watching me? Go in, and then out. Okay? Go," he began to inhale slowly and shakily, I did the same. Then, he exhaled, and so did I. For the next minute, we were just breathing, until I finally noticed my heart rate slowed down completely.

"There," he said with a bit of uncertainty. Like someone steadying a unbalanced tower. "Are you okay now?" I nodded, "Good. I'm sure he's sorry about that. He didn't mean to give you such a scare. I didn't think you would react like that either," the Doctor frowned, and my eyes turned downwards.

"S... Sorry, I..." I didn't know what to say. _How would I justify something like that? Where didn't that voice come from? I've never heard that before... At least, I don't think I have..._

"It's okay," the Doctor smiled. "Now, please don't freak out again, but I have a Ganger, and—"

"I know," I replied, turning to the man and giving him a strained smile. "Hi. Sorry, I didn't mean to freak out like that."

"Quite alright," the Doctor answered with his own smile. "Nice to see you're alright."

I frowned, "Alright? What ha—" I paused, then groaned, holding my face in my hands, "Oh... Right. Electrocuted."

"Yes, it's a miracle you're alive, by the way," the Doctor began to ramble. "It's as if your body absorbed the electric shock, but of course, with it being so big, it must've overwhelmed you and—"

"You're gonna give her a headache with all that talk, Doctor," Amy teased. "Give her some air."

I chuckled, but it turned into a coughing fit, and I turned away. "Sorry..." I muttered.

"The stone's probably affecting you more," Ganger-Doctor said. "We thought that with special lungs like yours, it would withstand it, but that was a guess and we really didn't know—"

"Air sacs," I cut him off, clearing my throat. "It makes it easier to breath higher, but I'm pretty useless in low-air pressures. Especially when the air is poisoned."

"That makes sense." I glanced around the room, everyone was standing at the console, but Cleaves had a phone to her ear, speaking to someone named ' _Captain_ '.

"We've got to get out of here," Buzzer said as soon as the woman hung up.

"We are," Cleaves assured the anxious man. "We're going to get out."

"We're not leaving without them," Amy said firmly. I frowned, _without who_? Slowly, I do a headcount. _Minus the extra Doctor, every is here, but—oh._ Rory.

"I want them found too, but it's about casualties, innit?" Buzzer said seriously, and my eyes narrowed. "Can't be helped."

 _Amy won't leave without him. If I could just get outside, I'd have an easier chance to find Rory._ Although the thought had been hopeful thinking, it was soon intruded by rationality _. As soon as I stepped out there, I wouldn't be able to breathe. Not to mention the Doctors would never let me. And, if something happened, I wouldn't be able to control the Gangers. Somehow, they were immune, which meant in a emergency, I wouldn't be able to get both of us out. So not being able to breathe, and probably being invisible._

I gave a small huff, racking my hand through my hair, _I wouldn't be able to do it. Why do I feel so... Useless_? I glared at the ground, _there had to be some other way to get down there_! But, every thought that came to mind just... Wasn't enough. It wouldn't work, there were too many complications, it only resulted in the possibility of someone dying, which unfortunately, I couldn't risk _. At least not here, the Doctors wouldn't met me, or be far to stubborn to leave them._

Groaning at my useless plans, I subconsciously listened in on Amy and the Doctor's conversation, who were across the room, talking. But then, she gasped, staring at me. "Amy? What happened?" The Doctor asked the woman, who looked... Scared.

"It's her again," she said in a haunted whisper.

"It's who again?" The Doctor demanded, taking her by the shoulder.

"There's a woman I keep seeing," Amy explained quickly, not taking her eyes of me. My mouth twisted into a frown, her gaze piercing through me. "A woman with an eyepatch, and she has this habit of sliding walls open and staring at me." Finally, she tears her gaze away looking at the Doctor, and it is then that I realize I had been holding by breath. "Doctor?" My eyes narrowed, _the Eye Patch Lady? That's a strange description_.

"It's nothing," the Doctor said after a hesitant second.

"Doesn't seem like nothing."

"It's a time memory," the Doctor finally explained. "Like a mirage. It's nothing to worry about." I stared at the Doctor, confused. _Why was he lying?_

Before I could ask him, the other Doctor stumbled past me, holding his head in pain. "It's in my head," he groaned, stumbling over his own feet to get out of the room.

"Hey! Hold on," Jimmy said, but he closed the door behind him.

"Don't let him go," Cleaves ordered, but Amy got up. Jimmy nodded, about to go after him, but Amy stopped him.

"No, leave it to me," she said, then slipped through the door. After a few silent seconds, everyone went back to working on... Whatever they were doing.

Then, I saw the Doctor's eyes widen. He looked... Confused? Angry? "Why?" _Why? Why what_? Before I could ask, Amy ran out of the back room, her expression distraught.

"Keep him away from me!" She growled, pointing an accusatory finger at the Ganger-Doctor, who had came out behind her. He looked at the Doctor, their expressions matching, but not as intense as it had been before.

"Did you sense it?" Ganger-Doctor asked and the Doctor gave a small nod.

"Briefly," he replied. "Not as strong as you." _As strong? If that wasn't strong then... What did the_ other _Doctor do?_

"Amy, I am sorry," Ganger-Doctor apologized, guiltily.

"No, you keep away. We can't trust you," Amy said, glaring. I sighed, were we really back to this?

"It would appear I can connect to the Flesh," Ganger-Doctor said with curiosity.

"You are Flesh," Amy argued.

"I'm beginning to understand what it's been through," Ganger-Doctor continued. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head. "What it _needs_."

"What _you want_!" Amy snapped, "You _are_ it." Amy glare intensified and, although it wasn't directed towards me, it made me flinch, my hands clenching by my sides.

"It's much more powerful than we thought," Ganger-Doctor continued. "The Flesh can grow, correct?"

"Its cells can divide," Cleaves corrected.

"Well, now it wants to do that at will," Ganger-Doctor said, almost enraged. "It wants revenge. It's in pain, angry. It wants revenge."

"I was right," Amy spat with a newfound anger that made me instinctively move away. "You're _not_ the Doctor. You can't _ever_ be. You're just a _copy_." The Doctor gave Amy a shocked look and Ganger-Doctor looked just as surprised.

"Doctor, it might be best if you stayed over there for now, hmm?" Cleaves suggested, although trying to seem friendly, she too, looked nervous and untrusting.

Now, the Doctor stepped in, "Hold on a minute, hold your horses. I thought I'd explained this. I'm him, he's me."

"Doctor, we have no issue with you, but when it comes to your Ganger—"

"Don't be so _absurd_."

Cleaves gave him a wary look, "Buzzer?" She pointed to a barrel on the side beside me.

"Sure, boss," he pulled a barrel out beside me, and pat it for Ganger-Doctor to sit on. "Take a seat, mate."

Ganger-Doctor smiled optimistically at the barrel, "Nice barrel, very comfy," the Doctor nodded, "Why not? Is this really what you want?" Nobody answers, somehow anonymously agreeing to ignoring the Doctor.

I looked down at my feet, my thoughts trailing away. _Why did I flinch when Amy said 'it'? Why did that bother me so much...?_ I shuddered as her repulsive thoughts replayed in my head. I covered my ears to block it out, but that only seemed to make it grow louder.

"Hazel?" My head snapped around to the Doctor, who was giving me a concerned look. "Are you okay? Is there something bothering you?"

"No. No, I'm fine," I replied, trying to shake away the hesitancy in my voice. "I was just thinking..."

"About what?"

I rose an eyebrow, "Naked ladies," I answered sarcastically with a teasing smirk. He rolled his eyes, his cheeks dusted with a blush.

"I'm serious." My smirk slid off my face.

I combed a hand through my tangled mess of a hair, deciding to cut it again when we got back to the TARDIS. "What Amy was saying to you..." I grimaced, "It was annoying."

He rose an eyebrow, "Annoying?"

"She was calling you an it," I hissed, my voice low so she couldn't overhear.

"Well... Yes, I supposed, but..." He gave me a strange look, "Why does it upset you?"

"Because," I huffed, blowing a traitorous strange of hair out of my face. "You're not an it. You're the Doctor. And hearing her call you an it... It makes her sound like... A Whitecoat..."

Ganger-Doctor's eyes widened, before narrowing again, "Hazel, Amy isn't a Whitecoat."

"I know," I sighed, "But, she's treating you like one."

"In her defense, she believes I'm artificial, in a sense," the Doctor shrugged a shoulder.

"Please," I drawled, "I'm less human than you are and she doesn't call me an it."

"No you're not."

"Doctor, I came out of a petri dish."

"I came out of a vat of goop."

"At least yours was living."

"So are you!"

"Humans doesn't usually come with wing accessories, Doctor. Not to mention, hollow bones, hole-filled lungs, healing blood..." I began to count them off on my fingers. "Metal-kinesis, invisibility, sharper hearing, tasting, seeing, feeling, and smelling, oh, and sensing. Not to mention abnormal strength and speed."

Ganger-Doctor made a face, "That doesn't mean you're not human."

"I never said I wasn't," I frowned. "I just said that I'm less 'human' than you." I paused for a second, "Oh, and controlling people. How could I forget that?"

Ganger-Doctor snorted, and I smirked, ignoring what the others were saying to some pilot. I stared down at my feet, distractingly. My body still feels weak from the electrocution. I highly doubt I'll be able to walk anywhere, without help for a while. "Are your legs okay?" I nodded at Ganger-Doctor's question.

"Fine-ish. Just hurts. A lot," I chuckled. "Not paralyzed, so that's definitely a bonus."

Ganger-Doctor frowned, disapprovingly, "That's not fine."

"Well, at least I'm not dead," I said with a grin, but Ganger-Doctor did not look amused.

"Hey, there's a camera up," Buzzer replied and everyone began to crowd around the computer. "We've got a visual." I sighed, not getting up, and neither did Ganger-Doctor.

Amy gasped, probably seeing Rory or something along the lines of, "That's Rory and Jennifer!" She said, pointing at the screen.

"They're heading for the thermostatic room," Cleaves said, her brow furrowing. I felt same way. Why would they be going there? Are they trying to cool the acid or... Heat it? I grimaced at the latter option, getting a general idea of what it'll look like if the entire island was heated with boiling acid underneath us.

"Let's go get them," Amy said, giving the Doctor a nod. He smirked at her, taking his sonic screwdriver out and tossing it to his counterpart. Amy's excited face fell when she realized what he meant. "Hang on."

"We can't let him go. Are you crazy?" Cleaves demanded, glaring at the Doctor.

"Am I crazy, Doctor?" The Doctor asked his doppelgänger, jokingly.

"Well, you did want to plumb your brain into the core of an entire planet just to halt its orbit and win a bet."

I snorted at this, "Really?" Ganger-Doctor nodded, a grin stretching his cheeks.

"He can't go rescue them," Amy said, glaring at the man. "I'm going." Then, she looked at me, "Hazel? Can't you come with me?"

I shook my head, "Nope. If I take a step out of that door, it's most likely I'll die from asphyxiation."

"We'll all die of asphyxiation," Cleaves rolled her eyes.

"I would die," I continued, "In two minutes." The room went silent for a second. Ganger-Doctor spoke up again.

"Hazel, you're going to need to get off this island with the rest of us," he said carefully, and I nodded. I had no plans of ' _sacrificing myself for the greater good_ '. I would just use a different means of transportation to get off the island.

"I just won't go downstairs. It's too dangerous. I'll use that window," I pointed to the side of the room, where there was a sealed glass window on the wall. The Doctor nodded, and so did Ganger-Doctor.

"Great!" The Doctor grinned, then turned to Amy. "Do you know, I want him to go. And I'm rather adamant."

I saw Buzzer sigh before speaking up, "Well then, he'll need company. Right, boss?" Cleaves nodded and the man placed a hand on Ganger-Doctor's shoulder. "It's fine. I'll handle it."

"Thank you, Buzzer. It'll be all right," now, he turned to Amy, a look of determination on his face. "I'll find him." Amy turned away, and the Doctor went to comfort her. I turned away as the duo left, holding my breath till the door closed again.

Meanwhile, I raised a hand to my back, feeling my fathers silently. This time, I felt my feathers; they hadn't disappeared. _What happened earlier then? How could they just be... Gone? This doesn't make sense! Maybe it was just a trick. It had to be a trick..._

"These temperature gauges are rising," Cleaves announced, and I sat up. "Jennifer and Rory must have shut off the underground cooling vents." I groaned, feeling bitter that I called that one. Guess I'll actually have to use that window then.

"Why do that? They'll kill us," Dickens shouted.

"There's a million gallons of boiling acid under our feet," Cleaves said, warily.

"And now it's heating up the whole island," the Doctor said, now realizing the seriousness of this situation. "How long till it blows?" A loud rumbling made the ground shake, and my eyes widened.

"Okay, that's our cue, time to skedaddle," I said, standing up. My legs were a bit wobbly, and I held onto the barrel for support.

"I agree, Gangers or no Gangers, we need to get the hell out of here," Dickens said.

"Shuttle, we need evac," Cleaves said into the microphone. "Where are you? Can you hear me? Can you—" then, Cleaves groans, holding her head in her hands.

"Cleaves? Cleaves? Cleaves, sit down," the Doctor tried to bring her to a barrel, but Cleaves pushed him away.

"I'm–I'm fine," she said, leaning against the table and holding her head. The Doctor stands over her shoulder, trying to help her, but she looks completely miserable and almost angry. "I'm waiting for results, so let it go," she growled weakly.

"It's a very deep parietal clot," the Doctor said, and she looked up at him, confused.

"How can you possibly...?" She cut herself off sighed, rubbing her head. "Inoperable."

"On Earth, yes," the Doctor agreed.

"Well, seeing as Earth's all that's on offer. Hmm," she like up at him, giving him a weak grin. "I'm no healthy spring chicken, and you're no weatherman. Right?" Suddenly, there's another loud rumble and I stiffened.

"Hey, I'd hate to break up you two but the island is out to explode!" I said, and stepped towards the window, feeling much more confident in my walking. "As much as I like to stay and feel this heartfelt, touching, bonding moment, I'll have to pass." I raised a hand to the window, and made all the screws flu out. Then, I pulled the window frame and it came off easily.

"You broke it!" Cleaves shouted and I pages the other side out the window, not caring to see if it dropped on someone.

"Doctor, I'm be able a hundred miles east, but if that's not far enough, then look farther," the Doctor nodded and I stepped out the window.

"Be careful," he warned, and I smirked.

"Of course," then I pushed myself out the window, and fell through the air. I couldn't fall for long though, so I pushed my wings up, easily soaring through the air and out of sight.   
•-•-•-•-•  
I flew for about thirty minutes due east until I knew I was approximately a hundred feet away, just like I told the Doctor. Water was all that surrounded me and I decided against free-floating in possibly shark invested waters just to wait. So, I hovered in the air until my wings grew tired, and then I kept hovering.

About an hour later, I heard an explosion and a tannish mushroom cloud in the distance. My eyes widened in shock, _did they get off the island?! What happened? Was the Doctor and the others still even_ alive _!?_

Much to my surprise, and relief, I heard the familiar moaning of the TARDIS from behind me. I grinned and turned around to see the Doctor standing in the doorway, grinning at me.

"Took you long enough," I teased, stepping into the TARDIS, and again relieved to actually have somewhere to stand after not being able to in the past hour. I did a quick headcount, me, the Doctor—only one, I suppose the other didn't make it...—Rory and Amy. Everyone else was gone, and I gave the Doctor a worried look, "Where's everyone else?" I asked, almost scared to hear the answer.

The Doctor caught onto my anxiety and placed a hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry! I took them home. They're all safe and sound," he grinned proudly.

"And... The Doctor? The other one, I mean," his grin deflated slightly.

"He said he had to stay," I looked down, upset.

"You okay, Hazel?" Amy asked.

"Y... Yeah, I'm fine, I..." I raked a hand through my hair, and flashed her a smile, but then, I gasped, stepping back.

"Hazel!?" The Doctor said and I stared at Amy, who was staring right back at me.

"Oh... My god," I whispered, clamping a hand over my mouth. "What the hell?!"

"What? What is it?" Rory demanded, staring from me to Amy.

"Amy, breathe," the Doctor said.

"Breathe? Why are you telling me to—" then, she doubled over in pain, holding her stomach. "Oh!"

Rory came beside her, "Doctor, what's happening to her?" He demanded, helping his wife who looked to be in complete agony.

"Contractions," the Doctor answered.

" _Contractions_?" Rory repeated, dumbfounded.

"What do you mean?!" I demanded, "What is that on her stomach!?"

"She's going into labour," he explained, but he wasn't panicking. Almost as if he knew this already.

"Did he say? No. No, no," Amy said, shaking her head making red curls fly everywhere. "Of course he didn't. Rory, I don't like this. Ow." She held her bulging stomach again.

"You're going to have to start explaining some of this to me, Doctor," Rory growled. He seemed angry, but he was also confused.

"What, _the birds and the bees_?" The Doctor ranted, waving his hands around as he explained. "She's having a _baby_. I needed to see the Flesh in its early days. That's why I scanned it. That's why we were there in the first place. I was going to drop you off for fish and chips first, but things happened and there was stuff and shenanigans. Beautiful word, _shenanigans_."

"It hurts," Amy moaned and I took a step towards her, but the Doctor held my arm tighter so I couldn't get any closer.

"But you're okay?" Rory said, sounding slightly hopeful.

" _Breathe_ ," the Doctor coached. "I needed enough information to block the signal to the Flesh."

"What signal?" Amy demanded.

"The signal to you."

The pains seemed to get worse and she stumbled towards the Doctor and I. "Doctor. _Doctor_!" She cried, and I moved closer.

"Amy," I tried to move away from him, but the Doctor wouldn't let me.

"Stand away from her, Rory," the Doctor ordered, and Rory gave him a shocked look.

"Why?" He demanded, " _No_. And why?"

"Given what we've learned, I'll be as humane as I can, but I need to do this and you need to stand away!" The Doctor snapped. Rory looked at his wife one more time, grief ever present in his eyes, and he slowly let go of her. Instead, he helped the Doctor hold onto me, who was still trying to get away from the man and help my friend.

"No. No. Doctor, I am frightened," Amy sobbed, sounding as terrified as she described herself to be. "I'm properly, _properly_ scared."

"Don't be," he assured. "Hold on. We're coming for you and Hazel. I swear it. Whatever happens, however hard, however far, we will find you."

"I'm right here," Amy whispered, and my body began to shake.

"No, you're not. You haven't been here for a long, long time." The Doctor raised his sonic at the woman, and her eyes widened.

"Oh, no." Then, right before my eyes, she turned to a pile of melted flesh.

I screamed, falling to my knees, my body racked with sobs. _Not another one. Not another one! She's dead, just like Laura and Darren and—_

A hand was placed on my shoulder and I looked up, tears spilling from my eyes. The Doctor was staring at me, his eyes saddened. "I'm sorry, Hazel. But it's your turn now."

I could barely comprehend his words once they came out of his mouth. "I... _What_? I'm Flesh too?"

"No, you're not," he squatted down beside me. I could barely see Rory standing off to the side beside where Amy once stood, tears streaking his cheeks as well.

The Doctor's green eyes searched through my terrified ones. "I'm sorry. _Schule. Weiße Mäntel. Laura. Flügel. Experimentieren. Folter_ —"

I scrambled back, "No. No! No! Stop! No!!" I screamed, curling up and putting my hands over my ears to block him out, but I could still hear him. "Don't! Please!" I sobbed, but he ignored my pleas and continued.

" _Schule. Weiße Mäntel. Laura. Flügel. Experimentieren. Folter. Töten. Radiergummis. Flyboys. Herde. Maximum Ride_." He barely finished the words before I fell on the ground, unconscious.   
**•-•-•-•-•-•**  
?'s POV  
It woke up on a hard surface. _The School_? It thought. _Was it being eliminated for failing to complete mission? It's Master would punish it. It needed to be punished. It would not complain._

It looked up, a man sat in front of it. _Not a man. Unknown_. "Hazel?"

It froze. _Hazel. It isn't Hazel! It is it! It isn't Hazel!! No! No_! "It isn't Hazel! It is it! It is it!" It made sure to tell the Unknown it wasn't Hazel, or else, he would punish it.

"It?" Another man looked up, staring at her. His eyes were red-rimmed and she could see the water on his face, coming from his eyes. "What is she talking about?"

"It does not understand," It said. "What are it's orders?"

"Hazel, stop talking like that," the Unknown said, but it scrambled back.

"No! It is it! It isn't Hazel or it will be punished!!" It screamed, pounding the statement into its head. _It is it. It isn't_ Hazel _, It isn't_ I _! It is_ it _!!_

"She's been brainwashed," the Unknown explained to the leaking human. "We're not going to hurt you, Hazel," the Unknown reached a hand to it, and it's eyes widened.

_He was going to shoot it. Burn it. Electrocute it. Pluck it. Drown it. Beat it. Whip it. Touch it._

It scrambled back, pressing it's back against a rail, it's entire body trembling. "It gives apologies! It did not mean to fail! Please, do not punish it! Not again!" Then, the water was leaking from its eyes and it nearly gasped. _It was showing emotion! It would be killed!_

**No, he wouldn't kill her. He wants to—**

_NO. It needed punishment! It needed to be punished!! Punishment is necessary!_

"Oh dear," the Unknown grimaced and it curled up in a ball, moving its wings to protect itself. _It didn't know what to do. Weren't these men going to punish it? Weren't they going to kill it? It needed to die, that was its punishment. It needed to die slowly, a knife would be ideal. They would drive it into its side, letting blood slowly seep out. It could imagine the scene, with it bleeding all over the floor as they stabbed it mercilessly. That's what it deserved. That's what it needed._

Something brushed against its arm and it yelped, stiffening. It looked up to see the Unknown staring at it, it's eyes wide, "We're... Not going to kill you..." He said, "We want to help."

"It needs punishment. It needs to die," it whispered. The other man had stood by now, and was staring at the two of them.

"Hazel—"

"It is not Hazel! It is not Hazel!! It is it!" It screamed, and the man raised his hands in defeat.

"Okay, okay... _It_ ," the Unknown looked disgusted as he said the word. "I am the Doctor, and that's Rory Williams. His wife just... Disintegrated, so do you... It... Does it think it can tell us anything as to where they might be holding her?"

"Is this its mission?" It asked. If it could emote it would have moved its lips upwards. It _finally_ had a mission.

Instead, the Unknown, no, the Doctor, looked upset. "No, it's not a mission. You're not a robot."

It looked down, "It gives its apologies." It slowly got off the floor, but still kept a considerable distance between it and him.

"You don't have to... Okay, whatever. Do you know where they are holding Amy and Hazel? We need to find them."

"It does not understand." It replied and the man threw his hands in the air. It glanced behind him, the other man—it wondered if that was the Rory Williams he spoke of—he was still looking at the ground, leaking.

"You don't know anything!?"

"It does know something," It replied. "It does not know what an Amy is. It gives its apologies, it does not know where to find an Amy."

The Doctor let out a huff, and it curled away. "Where's your base, Ha... It?"

"Base?" Then it froze, straightening, "Galaxy: _Jus'Tia_. Star System: _Getani_. Planet: _Gent Star Number 23-Dent-45.Maple_. Current Master: _Doctor Fiona Kar'Niz_. No," it looked at the man, who's eyes were wide as he absorbed its information. " _You_. Master: _The Doctor_."

The man cringed, "I'm... Not your master."

"It does not understand," it replied. "Without a Master, it will have to be eliminated."

The Doctor's face contorted into shock, "What?"

"' _If Subject does not have a designated Master or follows master's orders, Subject will be eliminated_ '," it quoted by memory, then frowned. "Or, it will be wiped. Will master wipe it?"

"I'm not your master!" The Doctor snapped at it, and it recoiled, looking at the ground. The Doctor inhaled, "Look... Hazel—"

"It is no—"

" _It,_ " he glared at it, and it fell silent. "We need to find our friends, so until then, you'll be staying here. You'll tell us everything you know on where they're keeping them, got it?"

"It understands," it replied. "It will help you find them, if that's what master wishes." The Doctor groaned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, there will be one more chapter before this book ends!


	17. chapter seventeen:

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LAST CHAPTER! :D

Chapter 17:

Third POV  
"Hazel?" Hazel flinched, surprised at the vaguely familiar voice that was calling her. It couldn't be... After all this time, he actually...? "Hazel, is that you? Please tell me that's you." She tried to speak, but after several hours of screaming, all she could make out were a few weak groans.

Everything hurt. It hurt to even breath at this point. She wanted to answer him, but the pain was too great that she simply couldn't. He ran up to her, cupping her tear-streaked face in his hands. "Oh, what did they do to you?" She gasped, slightly trembling as she stared directly into those all-too-familiar dull green eyes that were hundreds of years ahead of his body.

"Water!" He suddenly said, pulling a bottle out of his jacket and helped her drink it. Hazel guzzled it down far too fast, nearly choking, but he helped her. The dryness in her throat had went down and she was able to speak a little.

"M... M—"

"Don't talk until we get you settled, " he ordered, taking his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. "Let's get you out of those." He pointed it at the plastic clamps on the ceiling, and they instant released her arms. Hazel slumped forwards, gasping when she suddenly felt like she was falling again, but the Doctor steadied her. "Easy. Easy," he soothed, his hand moving to steady her back gently, she flinched at the touch, but he tried not to think of it. "We have to go, Hazel. The soldiers might be back any minute and—"

The Doctor cut himself off, staring at her back. His eyes widened in horror, "Hazel..."

"My–My wings..." She finally managed to croak out a sob, another onslaught of tears streaming down her face. "Doctor, I can't—I can't feel m–my wings!"

**•-•-•-•-•** **_Two Weeks Earlier_ ** **•-•-•-•-•**

Doctor's POV  
He didn't know what would drive him to insanity first: the fact that it was taking longer than he expected to find his friends, or that he had to practically babysit Hazel—no, _not_ Hazel, _It_.

Ever since he had reversed the brainwashing that was on the Hazel-lookalike, she's been like something he had never seen before. She was like a scarred small animal half the time. Either in complete terror that she would be punished for doing the smallest of things—tripping, standing still for more than three seconds, or just being generally confused. It became a regular task to prevent her from accidentally harming herself when she assured him—or even begged, in some cases—that she needed to be punished. It was almost as if not letting her harm herself was driving her mad.

Or, It—he hated that title, but she wouldn't accept anything else—would be completely obedient that it bugged him. She would do exactly as he said, when he said it, and if she had made even the smallest of errors, she would literally beg for his mercy not to punish her. Then, she would ask to be punished, as if not being punished was a crime in itself. This usually resulted in her being sent to her room like a child, just to keep her out of the way as he worked. He would often forget about her and neglect her in her room. That is, until she had a memory relapse.

Because of her brainwashings, she would sometimes experience memories that would show up. They were rarely ever pleasant and usually left her ending up on the floor, shivering even though it wasn't cold, screaming, crying, and writhing in pain, or completely detached and would be unresponsive for hours upon hours just staring into nothingness. Once or twice, however, she would lash out at him, if he had been careless enough to touch her. Usually, it had been a swatting with her wings—which definitely was painful later—or him being pinned on the ground while she tried to strangle him to death.

After that, he had refrained from touching her as she experienced these relapses.

There wasn't much he could truly do for the girl. Of course, he could repeat her ' _trigger words_ ' as he called it, turning her back to the Hazel copy, but he felt as if that were cheating her and Hazel, whom he hadn't yet been able to find.

He clenched his fists on the console, thinking of his friend. She was trapped somewhere, just like Amy, but he had no means of locating her. The only information It had provided for him was a string of ramblings that was something along the lines of, ' _No! No! They've killed the mission! The mission is still there, but she's dead now_ ,' or ' _It is no use. The mission has fallen. The mission won't allow it to connect to her_.'  Both of them suggests that she was dead, yet still alive. How was that!? How could she be both?!

He groaned, leaning his head against the board. For the past two weeks, they've been acquiring information, but has only been able to learn information on Amy, not Hazel. Wherever she was, it would take much more than a pub-information bribery or even threatening an entire fleet of cybermen to find her. Whatever information It had given him wasn't useful in the slightest. It was just a random planet that wasn't inhabited and hadn't been in a millennia.

He ran a hand down his face, maybe he should look again. Maybe they took her—

Screaming. That was It again. Maybe she had accidentally fallen asleep again? She wasn't fond of sleeping. She always said that it brought memories that she should've forgotten.

As he put his stuff away, he hurried down the hall and quickly made it to her room. She was still screaming, but it turned into loud sobbing now. He inhaled as he opened the door.

Her room was a mess—which was a massive change since It had... ' _Arrived_ '—the blankets were on the floor and so was she. She was curled up in a ball, her wings moving to cover her as well. She was crying, but had stopped when he entered the room. Now, she was just shivering and shallowly breathing.

"Ha... It. Are you alright?" There was a slight pause before she responded.

"It... It must be wiped again... Correct?" Wiped? Maybe the brainwashing procedure, which he knew was anything but humane by how she described it. They would torture her for hours, sometimes even days, and eventually they'd break her to the point where she knew nothing of what happened and became a puppet to them. He grimaced at the thought, vaguely wondering if they did the same to his Hazel.

"No," he answered. "Never. You won't be hurt here. In fact, you'll never be hurt again."

"It... It does not understand," she never did when he told her something like that. "It... It... It knows things it should not know... It wants to tell master, but master will punish it if it tells."

"I won't hurt you," he assured, dismissing the fact that she called him ' _master_ ' again. "You can tell me if you want."

It paused, he could tell that she was contemplating whether or not she should speak. "It... It had a dream. It was not a memory, it had never seen this before. There was a... Human. Or maybe not a human... A girl. She–She was in a cage, a clear cage, and there was a woman in front of her. She was... She was punishing the girl."

"Is that all?"

"N–No, it gives its apologies, she, the woman, was ordering the girl for something, and she would not talk. She was not moving, actually..."

"What did the woman want to know?"

"She–She said... _'I want to know the location of Maximum Ride.'"_ He froze. That was Hazel! So, that meant that It had some kind of psychic connection with her. Maybe he could use it to track her down!

He grinned, "Come on!" He said, grabbing her hand and pulling her up. It jumped and he half expected himself be to strangled on the floor again. Instead, she listened, raising to her feet, but she crossed her hands, keeping them by her sides, not allowing him to touch her. Racing down the halls with her behind, he brought her to the main console room, darting around to find what he needed.

"It does not understand what its purpose is at the moment," It muttered, watching as he dance around the console, finally pulling a tackily built head piece. It was decorated in loose wires, cords, and other assembling parts. He beckoned for It to come, for once proud of its obedient personality.

Placing the piece on her head, he began to type a few commands in and fiddled with it. "Okay, this may sting a little, but don't worry. I need to you think about the girl you saw in the glass cage, okay?"

It nodded and closed its eyes. After a few minutes of anticipation, it cracked an eye open, "Is–Is it working yet?"

He frowned, looking back at the console, "You have to think of the dream."

"It's thoughts are useless and unneeded," It replied automatically. "Expressing opinions will result in punishment."

"No, no! No punishing here!" The Doctor insisted. "Remember? I won't hurt you; nobody'll hurt you. You're safe."

"It..." She looked down, "It feels strange. It feels... Scared." Scared? She never tried to express emotions, much less name them.

"It's okay," he assured. "It's okay to be scared. All you need to do is think about the dream and you'll be done. Can you do this?" It stared into his eyes for a second. Seeing such fear spread so easily in Hazel's stubborn face was uncanny to him.

"Yes," It replied. She exhaled, and closes her eyes. A second later, she grimaced, flinching slightly in pain, but didn't move. He turned back to the console. The dream was brought up holographically as he tried to pinpoint the location of her.

" _Tell me where she is_!" A woman's voice demanded. He glanced up to see a red headed woman standing with a sharp knife in her hand.

" _I'd rather die_!" Hazel's voice spat.

The redhead lunged at Hazel and It screamed, falling to the ground, the headpiece snapping off her head and hitting the side of the console. The search was immediately aborted from lack of a source. "NO! Sorry! It is sorry, please don't hurt it! It can't—It doesn't know!" She began to cry again, trembling.

"Hazel, calm down," he tried to say, but then she stiffened.

"It isn't Hazel. It isn't Hazel. It is it. It doesn't need emotions. It begs for mercy. It begs for punishment. It—" he managed to tap her forehead, shutting her down, and she fell, her head hitting the grated floors with a sharp thud.

He sighed, staring at her unconscious body, trying to think of other ways he could possibly get the information to find Hazel.  
**•-•-•-•-•**  
It's POV  
It sat at the end of the bed that the Doctor had given it. It didn't move at all, the Doctor had ordered it to do that. It didn't want to disobey orders in case it would be punished.

The room was dark. The light had turned out when he left. It didn't like the darkness. It reminded it of the base. Her small cell with no light—never any light. It sat in the corner, waiting to be used again, to be helpful to its master. That was its orders. Sit there. Don't move. Don't speak. Don't emote, never emote.

It followed these orders with a dangerous accuracy, for the punishment of breaking an order like that would be death. Being dead would it was useless. Useless was wrong. Useless meant punishment; it meant that it was unneeded, it was a waste of space, a waste of oxygen, a waste of supplies.

Useless was _worse_ than death.

"It," it looked up, the Doctor was standing in front of it, holding a plate with strange smells coming from it. The sight made it confused, but the scent made its mouth water. It hadn't eaten a lot since it was reawaken, that was the rule. It wasn't allowed to eat more than the nutrients worth of a half a slice of bread and a small glass of water, and even then, that was too much.

"Here, you need to eat something," the Doctor said, handing it the food. It was several triangle-shaped wheat products with a red substance on top that was partially hidden by yellow substance melted together.

It blinked, "It does not understand."

"What do you mean? It's pizza. You love pizza."

"It does not _love_ anything. It does not emote; emoting compromises missions."

The Doctor exhaled, "You need to eat something. By this rate, you'll be less than skin and bones." He set the plate in her lap, and sat down on a chair—after clearing off a few misplaced items. "I'm not leaving till that plate is clear." It stared at him, then at the plate.

"Is this an order?" Again, he exhaled.

"Yes," he said, a strange edge to his tone. "That's an order. Eat your food." It sat straighter, and picked up the triangular shape of... Pizza by the corner. It looked at it strangely for a second, then tearing it in half, then in half again. It's fingers were covered in the strange red and yellow substances, but it took the ripped piece of the pizza and ate it.

After it finished, it set the plate on the ground. "What are its next orders?"

The Doctor looked up, he had been reading a book. "You didn't finish."

"It ate its required amount," it explained, confused.

"You barely ate anything."

"It was not supposed to."

"Ha—... It," again, he made a face. "You need to eat more than that. Even for a normal person, that's too little, and you need, what, 2,000 or 3,000 calories? Eat _all_ of it."

"But... It could be pun—"

"Oi!" He cut her off abruptly, "What did I say about that word?" As of a few days ago, he and the human, Rory, had banned that word from the TARDIS. That had confused it a bit. _Saying that word would mean punishment, but they refused to punish it, so what would it do? Punish itself? Was it allowed to do that?_

"May it punished itself?" It asked the Doctor, who's eyes went wide at the question.

"What!?"

"May it punish itself?" It repeated, but the Doctor shook his head.

"I–I heard you the first time, but wha... Why would you ask to do that to yourself?"

"Master refuses to punish it, and Master and the human banned the word ' _punishment_ ', therefore speaking or thinking of the word would mean punishment. But, Master refuses to punish it, so that would mean it would have to punish itself." The Doctor gaped at it once it finished its explanation. It looked away, now focusing on the plate with the food.

"I... Ugh, I don't want to call you ' _It_ '. Can we just give you a name?" The Doctor said suddenly after a short silence.

"It does not—"

"I know," he cut it off. "But, it would be easier to address you if you had a name. _It_ isn't really a name, it's more of a... Title."

"It does not understand."

"A name," he explained. "Can we give you a name? My name's the Doctor, so what can your name be?"

" _It_."

"No."

" _Subject 63_ —"

"No."

"... _Pet_?" The Doctor ruffled his eyebrows.

"'Pet'?" He repeated, sounding a bit disgusted.

"That was what... It's former Master would call it," It felt... Strange. It felt it's wings raising, curling around it. It tried to look at the Doctor, but then the strange feeling would come back, so it kept its eyes in the ground.

"... No. We're not calling you that," he finally said, and cleared his throat. "C'mon, it can be that hard to think of a name. What about..." He scratched his head for a second. "... _Destiny_?" It frowned, Destiny? That was m odd—

" _Help us_!" A woman's voice rang in It's ears, making it stiffen. " _Please, please help us_!"

Then, it scrambled of the bed, breathing heavily, "It?"

It held its head, shaking. _Laura. No, no, Laura_! "... Save her."

"What? It, what's going on?"

"Laura!" It felt its eyes leaking again, and it felt its eyes. The water was coming again. _Stop. Stop emoting! It does not emote_!

"Those... Those aren't your memories. How do you know that name, unless..." His eyes widened, "... The psychic link."

"They are going to kill her!" It sobbed, covering its mouth with its hands. Undesired images flashed in her mind. She could see Laura's— ** _who is Laura, who is Laura, wh_** —dead corpse sprawled on the ground. There was her blood, so much blood, _so much blood, so much blood,_ ** _so_** _—_

"Okay, I need you to calm down," the Doctor said. He was on his knees, staring at her. "Your having another relapse, but this time, it's not your memories. Now, this is very important. I'm going to go into your mind and remotely find the psychic link. They're usually easiest to find when the other person is feeling a overwhelmed with emotion, which may affect you, not quite sure. If I can get to it, I should be able to find her."

"She is—she is dead! They are all dead! I—"

"I might touch on some of your memories, but don't worry, it won't hurt, I promise." He placed his hands on its head, and it jerked its head back.

"It does—it does not want punishment! Please, do not—do not punish it!" It was shaking, staring at the Doctor, its _Master_ , with horror. " _Please_."

He blinked, his eyes softening into some emotion it didn't have time to recognize. "I'm sorry," he pushed his hands back on its temples, and in seconds, it slumped over.  
•-•-•-•-•  
Third POV

If the Doctor had to describe It's mind, he'd call it a post-war zone. Everything seemed to be broken, lost, or out of order. There was barely anything keeping it together, and the few things that were were so mangled that it would be more work trying to get it than tying to piece it back together.

He was getting distracted. Turning away, he searched for the psychic link, which would be a feat in itself in this mess. The bigger problem was tracing it with the little power it had left. He could be here forever looking for a memory that would be the most traumatic.

'... _Ura_...'

The Doctor turned sharply to see a small blue flame floating warmly in the air. '... _Laura_...' A whisper, he realized. A small whisper was usually the brain's way of remember small things that might snowball into a full memory.

'... _Laura_...' It beckoned, slowly moving away from him, but was gaining speed as well. The Doctor followed close after as the blue whisper, jumping over black, shadowy obstacles.

The whisper led the Doctor into a dark forest. He would have felt a bit hesitant, but he knew that he wasn't able to get physically hurt in her mind if nothing happened to his body. Since he knew nothing would, he continued quickly, following behind the whisper as he moved branches past his face so it didn't whip at him as he moved. He felt water splash against his shoes, and he frowned. Bending down, he touched the strange substance that was too thick to be water. It ran off his finger, sliding into his palm. The bluish fire giving a little light, showing the red tint on his finger.

Blood.

He jumped back, blood!? He looked around for a body to match the discarded substance on the ground. '... _Laura_...' The blue flame whispered.

"I kn—"

'... _Laura_!' It was distressed, and he looked over, where the blue flame was hovering. A crumpled body was illuminated underneath it. It had been a woman, but he was only able to recognize that from the long brown hair that laid against her back. She was turned on her stomach, blood puddling around her. He looked back where he was, someone had been lying here, that's why there were remnants of blood.

The Doctor heard loud flapping, like a eagle descending, but far to loud to be a eagle, or any bird of that size. He watched as Hazel reared her wings, favoring her right shoulder in her arm. Her back was to him, so he couldn't see her face. The Doctor watched as she easily scooped up the dead woman with her good hand, hissing a little in pain.

She lugged the woman over her shoulder as if she had been a sack of flour, and turned around. The Doctor gasped. Dried blood was splayed across her face and her eyes were dark, hollow almost. Her face had a blank expression, but her eyes were bloodshot and tear tracks ran down her cheeks. He noticed that she looked a few years young than she was, but her eyes... They were as dark and as tired as he was.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic, this should be the memory of her most emotional point, meaning he should be able to find the other end of the psychic link and save the coordinates in his sonic. His screwdriver made the familiar whirring when in use as it memorized the information he needed.

Hazel began to fly away, pumping her wings as she rose into the air. The Doctor began to worry that she would be too far away for the sonic to pick up on her signal, when suddenly, she stopped and hovered in the air.  The thick tree's foliage seemed to part giving him a view of the grave situation.

Despite Hazel being nearly twenty or thirty feet above him, he could hear we words clearly. "I... I'm sorry," she said, her voice sounding hoarse, as if she spent the last ten hours screaming. "This is all my fault. I... If I had just protected you, all three of you, this wouldn't have happened." She paused, a sob rising in her voice. The Doctor noticed his sonic had finished copying the signal, but he was too interested in her small goodbye.

She sucked in her breath, "You deserve a better than me crying. God, you would've called me a baby." Hazel laughed bitterly, before continuing with a solemn tone. " _Laura Dawner_. A friend, mother, daughter, and wife. She... She was amazing and he–helped me when I was dying. She saw the kindness in everyone and thing. She didn't deserve to die, not like this..." She cleared her throat, "I love you, Laura... Goodbye." Hazel dropped the body, watching it fall like an rock until she hit the ground unceremoniously in a crumpled heap of broken limbs.

The Doctor grimaced. When he died, he made a mental note _not_ to let Hazel be in charge for it.

Hazel began to fly for a few meters before she, too, fell. But, she landed on her knees, her hands covering her face, and she was sobbing. "I–I–I'm so–so so–sorry!!" She hiccuped, trembling. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She repeated these words over and over again. He felt his ears begin to ring from just listening to her. He winced as it became louder, covering his ears. This wasn't supposed to happen! What was going on!?

The Doctor pulled his hand away, surprised to see his own warm, burgundy blood coating his palms. She hadn't stopped crying and he noticed a few animals falling out trees, only squirrels and the like, but what surprised him was that they were all completely still and not even breathing—they were all dead.

Her words back in Venice what felt like forever ago finally made sense to him,

_"But, at a higher level, like it's song or a scream, it could quite literally... Kill someone."_

The Doctor decided to leave at that moment, not bothering to comfort the screaming girl and instead let go of her mind.  
•-•-•-•-•  
Doctor's POV  
He jumped away, staring at It who's eyes were still closed and her back against the messy bed. Her face was distressed, but she didn't look like she would wake up any time soon.

He touched his ears, still feeling blood. He rose an eyebrow, she hasn't exactly been singing in her memory, but... Could that 'ability' be triggered by simply speaking?

Several other questions rang in his head, but he decided to cast them away for now. He pulled out his sonic, grinning when he saw that the signal was still saved.

Finally, he had a chance at finding her.  
**•-•-•-•-•-•**  
3rd POV

"You ready?" The Doctor asked, and Destiny gave a small nod.

He was able to get the TARDIS just outside the building that they were holding Hazel in from where he traced the signal to. He already knew the security would be doubled to keep her in, but he had been lucky enough to feed all the cameras between her and them a continuous loop of recording so they wouldn't notice. Then, he and Destiny would be able to sneak through the halls, with Destiny being able to control anyone who came near them until they made it to her cell. When they eventually got to Hazel, he could remotely bring her back, where he had Commander Strax and Rory who had already prepped the TARDIS's infirmary and was waiting for her.

Their mission went smoothly with no faults. Destiny—who had formerly been ' _It_ ', but the Doctor refused to address her with the name, so she was given Hazel's former name—was able to render any unfortunate guard unconscious. The Doctor was able to sonic the door to her cell open, there were three men sitting down, guarding a single door with guns strapped on their waists. As soon as they saw the duo, they rose to their feet, reaching for their weapons.

"Go to sleep," Destiny ordered and all three of them slumped to the ground. The Doctor dead bolted the door closed, so no one would be able to enter again. Then, he pulled the plugs he kept in his ears out.

"Come on," the Doctor ordered, and Destiny nodded, beginning to seal the door shut. The Doctor sonicked the single door open. He was surprised to find that there had been a rather long, torchlit hallway. He knew there was a long hall from the room to Hazel, but it had been so old-fashioned that it shocked him.

The two hurried down the hall, until they found a wooden door with a large, old wooden-slab over the handle to keep he door shut. "Stay here," the Doctor ordered Destiny and she gave a firm nod, standing steadfast at the door, ready at a moment's notice.

The Doctor pushed the slab away and pulled the large door open. Again, the scenery changed from wooden and medieval to plastic and 2260's earth humanistic. The entire room was an opaque, dense plastic, with the only opening being the door he entered through. It was completely dark, and he noticed Hazel's limp form stirring in the center of the room.

Hazel had been hanging in the center of the room by her wrists. Plastic chains girded her wrists, and her wings had been limp against the floor behind her, but he didn't spend too much time looking at that. Hazel had been half dressed, wearing only ripped, mangled jeans and a sports bra that revealed her torso. Dark bruised and white scars that looked far too old to be only nine months healed lined her skin, most of them being jagged lines, most likely from whips, but a few had been bite and claw marks from what looked like wild beasts. Most of her body, however, was covered in blood that had crusted over the wound so, or had puffed up from exposure to bacteria, more likely than not being infected. On top of that, he had a clear view of her ribcage which had been painfully outlined from malnutrition. Her dark hair had grown out to her mid-back, and had shrunken from lack of care.

The Doctor stared at the girl for several minutes, almost unable to recognize the injured girl. "... Hazel?" The girl didn't move for a second. Finally, she flinched, as if being awoken from a deep sleep. "Hazel, is that you? Please tell me that's you." The Doctor didn't know why he asked that, maybe in fear he had found the wrong bird-kid, or maybe he had just been jinxing himself, and it truly was another clone.

Hazel opened her mouth to reply, but all that came out were croaks and a hoarse, groan of pain. Suddenly, the Doctor remembered he had been on a bit of a schedule and didn't have time to waste. He ran go here, cupping her sunken cheeks in his hands. Hazel flinched from the gesture, probably not being used to physical contact like how he was doing to her, but he was far to relieved to release her. "Oh, what did they do to you?" He whispered, knowing she couldn't answer. Or maybe she couldn't list all the inhumane acts they committed to her because it would take far too long to name.

"Water!" The Doctor exclaimed, remembering suddenly how Rory insisted he'd take the liquid with him incase she had been dehydrated. The Doctor reached into his jacket, pulling out a plastic bottle and gently pouring it down the girl's throat. Hazel guzzled it down like it had been the last drop in the universe, most of it spilling over the sides of her chin, but she didn't seem to mind.

Once the bottle had been empty, Hazel attempted speech again, "M... M—"

"Don't talk until we get you settled," the Doctor ordered, fishing his sonic screwdriver out of his jacket. "Let's get you out of those." He pointed the screwdriver at the ceiling and the chains instantly released her arms. Hazel sagged to the ground, but the Doctor held her up by the waist. He was surprised to see how light she had been, but didn't comment on it.

Hazel gasped as he rose her to her feet, probably feeling as if she had been falling again. "Easy. _Easy_..." The Doctor coaxed, placing a hand on her back to steady her. "We have to go, Hazel. The soldiers might be back any minute and—" he froze, looking down at her wings, his eyes widening in horror. "... Hazel...!"

Her wings were broken. No, not broken, _shattered_. She had lost so many feathers that it hardly looked like wings anymore, but just red, bleeding flesh. Her wings laid against her back, but he could see the bones of the wings sticking out in several places. It was as if someone came and snapped her wings over their knees several times! The Doctor couldn't imagine how much pain she had to be in because of that.

"My–My wings," Hazel finally managed to croak, her body trembling with sobs. "Doctor, I can't—I can't feel m–my wings!" She fell into a coughing fit, wincing as she involuntarily moved. Blood dripped down her chin, and she shivered, probably very cold.

"He–Hey, it's okay," the Doctor assured, pulling out his sonic to remotely call it back to him. "Destiny! We're leaving!" He shouted, and Hazel winced, slamming her eyes shut. Destiny entered the room, stony faced as usual.

"It believes that they noticed something is wrong," she said. "It heard footsteps—they're coming."

As the TARDIS materialized around the three, they heard the noise of loud alarms blaring, finally realizing someone had intruded their facility. But, by the time they came, it was far too late. The Doctor had taken Hazel and escaped.  
•-•-•-•-•  
Hazel's POV

"Get her to the Sick bay!" Someone shouted, "Carry her! Don't put her on her back! Her wings are terribly damage. You'll have to walk at a steady pace as well, or else she'll freak out and think she's falling again."

"We got it, Doctor," Someone else said in somewhat of a annoyed tone. "Some of us are actually certified nurses." I couldn't see much. All I saw were blurry outlines of people and bright lights. I shuddered, _I'm–I'm scared. Where's the Doctor!?_

"D... Doc... Tor..." I barely managed to speak. My throat hurt, just as much as they did when the Whitecoats experimented on my vocals. _Were they going to experiment on me? Was I back in the School_!? "D–Do–Doctor...!"

"I'm right here, Hazel, I haven't moved," the Doctor's voice assured. I barely looked at him my eyes half-shut.

"W... Where...?" I couldn't manage to speak another full sentence. My throat hurt again. I coughed, but that didn't help anything.

"Water! Someone get me water!" More shouting, more moving. I didn't realize how pretty the orange and yellow lights looked when all blurred together.

"Okay, let's take her to the sick bay," a voice says. We're moving again, and my head lolled to the side, resting against someone else. I began to wonder where we were going. _The Doctor hadn't moved, I could smell him. He was close, definitely close. I could also smell a lot of other things too, that I didn't recognize._

Then, we stopped, I heard something open, "Get her on the bed." We moved again, and I sniffed then, froze.

 _No. No. No. Not the School. No no! I can't be back! No_!! "Let–Let me... Go!" I croaked, struggling to get away from whoever was holding me. _Liars! All of this was a lie!_

To much of my surprise, they let go, and I crumpled to the floor. My instincts took over and I went invisible, shivering against the hard floor. "Hazel! Calm down! We're not going to hurt you. You're on the TARDIS, remember?" That was the Doctor. The _fake_ Doctor.

I stayed silent, which wasn't really much because I had been breathing so heavily. I felt a hand touch my shoulder and I jumped, trying to scramble away, but they gripped my arm, keeping me in place. "I'm sorry," the Doctor whispered before touching my forehead, and I fainted.  
•-•-•-•-•  
I didn't want to wake up again, but I heard people calling my name, so I forced my eyes open. I felt something hard pressing on my chest, and I looked down. A leather strap.

I jolted, my eyes wide, "No..." I whispered, my throat feeling a little better than it had before. I recalled my latest memories before I fell asleep. I was in the School again!! I pulled my arms against the straps, but I couldn't move. The actual buckles themselves were iron, but I was far to weak to control anything. I'm surprised, I managed to go invisible earlier. It probably was just partially, but still.

"Hazel?" The sound of the voice made my heart skip. _The Doctor_! But my eyes narrowed, _he was working with the School_!? "Great, you're awake. Come on, you need to eat something."

"Where... Are we?" I whispered.

He gave me a strange look. "The TARDIS, of course. I brought you something to eat so I can fill you in while you're eating." The Doctor walked over, setting a tray with a sandwich and a glass of water beside me. He handed me the plate with the sandwich on it. "Eat up."

I didn't reply. Instead, I tore off a sizable chunk and handed it to him. He blinked for a second, probably confused, but then rose an eyebrow, "You think I poisoned it?"

"I'm thinking... A lot of things right now..." I whispered slowly. "If–If you're _my_ Doctor, you would eat it."

"I am your Doctor."

"Prove it." The Doctor gave me a sad look, but not for me, but for himself, and took the sandwich piece.

"I'll eat it, but... I put a lot of hot sauce in it because I know you like it like that." I scoffed, as the Doctor finally ate it, and made faces as it burned his tongue.

"Thank you," I whispered, suddenly able to relax. He nodded, but his face was turning red. I chuckled, "Go get some milk." He ran out of the room as soon as the words left my mouth and I laughed.  
•-•-•-•-•-•  
The Doctor finally finished explaining everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. They got Amy, but lost her baby, which happened to be River. He we a monk. Rory got all centurion-y and saved her. So, now we were back in the TARDIS again, but needed to find River, or really, the younger version of her.

"Where do we... Start to find her?" I asked.

"You can start by getting some rest," the Doctor explained. "You've been tortured for nine months."

"Nine months?" I frowned, "You... Mean eleven."

The Doctor's eyes bulged, "What? No, you were taken when Amy was kidnapped with the Silence, remember?"

"What's... The Silence?" The Doctor stared at me, and I squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze.

Then the door opened, "Master Doctor, the human, Amy, is—" Our eyes met, my widening with each second. Simultaneously, our eyes flared yellow. I tried to get out of the bed, but the leather straps wouldn't allow me. Instead, the clone lunged, but the Doctor grabbed her arm before it could hit me.

"Whoa! Whoa!" He shouted, struggling to keep the clone away.

"Why haven't you... Killed that thing yet!?" I demanded, coughing in-between my sentence.

"What are you taking about?" The Doctor asked. "Why would I kill her!?"

"It's a clone, Doctor!" I hissed.

"Hazel, she's a person too. I expect you of all people should understand that," the Doctor looked rather upset. "Destiny, go for now," he said, dismissing the clone, and it hurried out of the room silently.

I stared at the wall, angrily. "Hazel—"

"The clones... Back at the School were usually used... As slaves." I grimaced, remembering when I was able to slip in on one of the Clone Auctions a few years ago. "Sometimes, they're put into a fighting ring for entertainment..." I exhaled, "They're usually connected... Mentally with the original— _me_ —and can interject... Themselves in my memories or my mind. I've... Felt her in my mind," I shivered, remembering when that clone would simply sit in and ways when that Whitecoated bitch tortured me. _That clone did nothing! Had it had just told the Doctor, then I ... I wouldn't have had to go through that. It was that damned clone's fault!_

"I want it dead," I growled, my eyes narrowed and my shoulders shaking with anger.

"I'm not killing her," the Doctor said, firmly.

"You don't have to. Next time I see it, it'll have its eyes rolled back in its head."

"Hasel, you're not thinking straight. Get some rest, we can have this discussion later." The Doctor left, but not before undoing the leather straps holding me down.

I stared at the closed door, several angry thoughts racing in my mind, yet one of them repeated itself over and over.

 _I was going to kill that clone. We both can't be here, and the Doctor will never decide on one. It's either me, or her, and this time, I_ refuse _to lose._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy omg. After nearly a year and a month working on this book, I'm finally, finally finished!
> 
> Now, I gotta finish SIF and GAW so I can write the SuperWhoLock–Maximum Ride crossover! I'm so excited omg! I can't wait!!
> 
> I have a lot of work to do so I'll get back to writing! Thank you guys so much for all the support throughout this story. I love you all and I'll see y'all next time, and remember...
> 
> Don't melt~!  
> ~ Happyritas

**Author's Note:**

> I also do not own the Maximum Ride series, or Doctor Who, James Patterson and BBC does.


End file.
